IP Address Settings - Windows XP,Windows 7, 8,Windows Vista

DHCP is the preferred method for setting up your computer to connect to the Trinity Hall network.

Click "Start" -> "Control Panel".

Click the "Network and Internet Connections" option.

Then click the "Network Connections" option.

Double click the icon labelled "Local Area Connection". The icon may have a number after it, for example "Local Area Connection 5".

Click the "Properties" button.

Select "Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)" and click "Properties".

Ensure that "Obtain an IP address automatically" and "Obtain DNS server address automatically" are selected, then click OK

Close all open windows and reboot the computer if Windows asks. You should now be connected to the network.

 to setup a static IP in  Windows 7

Static IP address is an alternative to the default dynamic IP address. A static IP will be fixed and most reliably reached.  Using static IP address assignment for all devices on the home network guarantees to avoid potential address conflicts.  When using static IP addresses on home and other private networks, they should be chosen from within the standard private IP address ranges listed:

• 10.0.0.0 through 10.255.255.255
• 172.16.0.0 through 172.31.255.255
• 192.168.0.0 through 192.168.255.255

To start follow the following directions:
Click the start menu, then click the search box, type in "network and sharing" select network and sharing center when it comes up.

When network and sharing center opens, click on "change adapter settings".

Right click on your local adapter and select properties.

In the Local Area Connection Properties window, highlight "Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) then click properties.

Select the radio button "Use the following IP address and enter the correct IP, Subnet mask, and Default gateway that corresponds with your network setup. Then enter your Preferred and Alternate DNS server addresses.

Check validate settings upon exit so windows can find any problems with the addresses you entered. When you're finished click OK.

Now close out of the Local Area Connections Properties window.
To check the changes you have made, you can run CMD to open a command prompt and type in "ipconfig".

Windows Vista

Changing your IP from DHCP to a Static address in Vista is similar to Windows 7, but getting to the correct location is a bit different. Open the Start Menu, right-click on Network, and select Properties.

The Network and Sharing Center opens…click on Manage network connections.

Right-click on the network adapter you want to assign an IP address and click Properties.

Highlight Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) then click the Properties button.

Now change the IP, Subnet mask, Default Gateway, and DNS Server Addresses. When you’re finished click OK.

You’ll need to close out of Local Area Connection Properties for the settings to go into effect.

Open the Command Prompt and do an ipconfig to verify the changes were successful.

How to connect to Wi-Fi on my laptop

Windows XP

Windows7/Vista

Windows 8

MAC

Window XP

Steps

1 Click on Start→Control Panel→Network Connections

2 Right click on Wireless Network Connection, then click on View available wireless networks

3 Double click on your own WiFi, then enter the wireless password if you have password it.

Windows7/Vista

Steps

1     Click on the Wireless Icon on the bottom right of your desktop near the clock.

2     Find your own Wi-Fi and double click on it to connect, if you have set a password for it, it will ask for the security key, please input your security key and click OK.

3     When it finished connected, it will shows like the following picture.

 

Windows 8

Steps

1 Click Desktop tile from the Start screen to go to the desktop.

2 On the bottom right of the taskbar, click on Network icon,then the available wireless network will show up.

3     Click on your own WiFi

4     Check the box in front of Connect automatically, if you want the computer to connect to thisWiFi automatically next time, and then click Connect.

5 Enter then password of your WiFi.

6 Select whether to share the network, after that you will connect to this network.

MAC

Steps

How to connect to my WiFi in MAC computer

1      Click on Apple, then choose System Preferences.

2 Find Internet& Wireless, open Network

2     Click on Airport. Choose the wireless signal of your router and click Connect.

4 Enter the wireless password and click OK.

How to set a password for wireless network?

-How to set a password for wireless network?

Product line: ADSL             Question category: Wireless settings

Q: Why we need to set a password for our wireless network?

A: sometimes we don’t want others to use your wireless network then you can set a password for your wireless network

I. Physical connection:

II. Login to the management page of the router:

1、open your web browser(IE,Firefox,Safari,etc) àfind the address baràleave it blankàtype 192.168.1.1àPress enter.

(Care: The address bar is in the most top of the web page after opening web browser).

2、Then you can see the following page, chick on Advanced Settings.

3、After clicking Advanced Settings，you will see the follow page

III、Steps to do wireless settings

1、click on wireless –>basic on the left menu ,please change SSID (it is your wireless network name)for other name, and then held on Apply

1、click on wireless –>security on the left menu ,please disable WPS setting ,select Network Authentication to WPA-PAK or WPA2-PSK,change WPA Encryption to AES, and then WPA passphrase ( please type in at least 8 numbers or letters).

IV. Connect computers to Internet wirelessly.

Please find the name of your wireless network (it is SSID which is your family name) and connect to it. It will require you to input password, please type password (It is the passphrase which was made by yourself just now.)

When your SSID (wireless network) shows connected, that means you can access to the Internet wirelessly, now you can try to unplug the cable between your computer and your tenda router to see if you can enjoy your Internet wirelessly.

How to remove Virus from USB Drives

One of the ways by which a virus can infect your PC is through USB/Pen drives. Common viruses 
such as ’Ravmon’ , ‘New Folder.exe’, ‘Orkut is banned’ etc are spreading through USB drives. Most 
anti virus programs are unable to detect them and even if they do, in most cases they are unable to 
delete the file, only quarantine it. Here are the things which you can do if you want to remove such 
viruses from your USB drives. 
1. Whenever you plug a USB drive in your system, a window will appear similar to the one 
shown below 

2. Don’t click on Ok , just choose ‘Cancel’. 
3. Open the Command Prompt by typing ‘cmd‘ in the run box. 
4. In the command prompt type the drive letter: and press enter. 
5. Now type dir /w/a and press enter. 
6. This will display a list of the files in the pen drive. Check whether the following files are there 
or not: 
• Autorun.inf 
• Ravmon.exe 
• New Folder.exe 
• svchost.exe 
• Heap41a 
• or any other exe file which may be suspicious.
7. If any of the above files are there, then probably the USB drive is infected. 
8. In command prompt type attrib -r -a -s -h *.* and press enter. 
9. This will remove the Read Only, Archive, System and hidden file attribute from all the files. 
10. Now just delete the files using the command del filename. -- 
Example del Ravmon.exe. -
Delete all the files that are suspicious. 

Removing a virus without using any anti-virus software

Virus is a computer program that can copy itself and infect computers.
The term "virus" is erroneously used to refer to other types of malware, including adware and spyware programs that do not have the reproductive ability.
A true virus can spread from one computer to another (in some form of executable code).
One of the ways by which a virus can infect your PC is through USB/Flash drives.
Common viruses such as 'Ravmon' , 'New Folder.exe', 'Orkut is banned' are spreading through USB drive .
Most anti virus programs are unable to detect them and even if they do, in most cases they are unable
to delete the file, only quarantine it.So in our post we use command prompt to remove harmful files that
any anti-virus can't.


These are the steps.

Step 1:

 Run the command prompt by going to start and type cmd on the search programs and files.

Step 2:

 Select the virus affected drive
                 (drivename: )
examples
C:
J:
F:
D:
E:

Step 3:

 type attrib -s -h *.* /s /d then press enter

Step 4:

 type dir 
        the dir command shows you the content of the drive

Step 5:

check if there is an unusual .exe file
                 if there's an autorun.inf file rename it

                    (rename filename.extension newfilename )

Step 6:

by doing the following steps you can now acces the drive without affecting the virus

 Go to my computer

Step 7:

Select the drive

Step 8:

Delete the harmful files
             *you can also delete the harmful files using command prompt
              ( type del filename)

Step 9: Video

This will guide you on how to perform the operations.

Hazrat Khalid Bin Waleed(RA)

In a battlezone Khalid Bin Al-Waleed (ra) was a right element. To be a warrior was his destiny. He knew not fear and was always ready to confront the enemy on his own daring terms. He succeded in combating on his terms mainly because the enemy all too often under estimated the Muslims because inferior weaponry and especially numbers. But they knew not who they were up against.

Hazrat Abu bakr Siddique (ra) wanted a second opinion on Khalid Bin Al-Waleed (ra): When Abu Bakr was planning the Campaign of the Apostasy, he discussed with Amr bin Al Aas the appointment of various generals as corps commanders. The Caliph said, "O Amr, you are the shrewdest of the Arabs in judgement. What is your opinion of Khalid?" Amr replied, "He is a master of war; a friend of death. He has the dash of a lion and the patience of a cat!"

He was the first Muslim commander to leave Arabia and conquer foreign lands; the first Muslim to humble two great empires, one after the other. Almost all his battles are studies in military leadership, especially Uhud, azima, Walaja, Muzayyah, Ajnadein and Yarmuk. His finest battle was Walaja, while his greatest was undoubtedly Yarmuk.”

Khalid Bin Al-Waleed (ra) on the battlefield:
" The Roman commander at Qinassareen was a general named Meenas-a distinguished soldier who was loved by his men. Meenas knew that if he stayed in Qinassareen, he would be besieged by the Muslims and would eventually have to surrender, as at present no help could be expected from the Emperor. He therefore decided to take the offensive and attack the leading elements of the Muslim army well forward of the city and defeat them before they could be joined by the main body. With this plan in mind, Meenas attacked the Mobile Guard at Hazif with a force whose strength is not recorded; He either did not know that Khalid was present with the leading elements of the Muslim army or did not believe all that he had heard about Khalid.For Khalid to throw his cavalry into fighting formation for battle was a matter of minutes, and soon a fierce action was raging at Hazir. The battle was still in its early stages when Meenas was killed; and as the news of his death spread among his men, the Romans went wild with fury and attacked savagely to avenge their beloved leader's death. But they were up against the finest body of men of the time. Their very desire for vengeance proved their undoing, for not a single Roman survived the Battle of Hazir. 3 The Mobile Guard took this encounter in its stride as one of its many victories. As soon as the battle was over, the people of Hazir came out of their town to greet Khalid. They pleaded that they were Arabs and had no intention to fight him. Khalid accepted their surrender, and advanced to Qinassareen.When Umar received reports of the Battle of Hazir, he made no attempt to conceal his admiration - for the military genius of Khalid. "Khalid is truly the commander," 4 Umar exclaimed. "May Allah have mercy upon Abu Bakr. He was a better judge of men than I have been." 5 This was Umar's first admission that perhaps he had not judged Khalid rightly."
He was fierce on the battlefield:
Narrated Khalid bin Al-Walid:
"On the day of the Battle of Mu'tah, nine swords were broken in my hand, and nothing was left in my hand except a Yemenite sword of mine." [Bukhari]

Death:

“Some time in 642 (21 Hijri), at the age of 58, Khalid was taken ill. We do not know the nature of his illness, but it was a prolonged one and took the strength out of him. As with all vigorous, active men upon whom an inactive retirement is suddenly thrust, Khalid's health and physique had declined rapidly. This last illness proved too much for him; and Khalid's sick bed became his death bed. He lay in bed, impatient and rebellious against a fate which had robbed him of a glorious, violent death in battle. Knowing that he had not long to live, it irked him to await death in bed.

A few days before his end, an old friend called to see him and sat at his bedside. Khalid raised the cover from his right leg and said to his visitor, "Do you see a space of the span of a hand on my leg which is not covered by some scar of the wound of a sword or an arrow or a lance?"

The friend examined Khalid's leg and confessed that he did not. Khalid raised the cover from his left leg and repeated his question. Again the friend agreed that between the wounds farthest apart the space was less than a hand's span.

Khalid raised his right arm and then his left, for a similar examination and with a similar result. Next he bared his great chest, now devoid of most of its mighty sinews, and here again the friend was met with a sight which made him wonder how a man wounded in so many places could survive The friend again admitted that he could not see the space of one hand span of unmarked skin.

Khalid had made his point. "Do you not see?" he asked impatiently. "I have sought martyrdom in a hundred battles. Why could I not have died in battle?"

"You could not die in battle", replied the friend.

"Why not?"

"You must understand, O Khalid," the friend explained, "that when the Messenger of Allah, on whom be the blessings of Allah and peace, named you Sword of Allah, he predetermined that you would not fall in battle. If you had been killed by an unbeliever it would have meant that Allah's sword had been broken by an enemy of Allah; and that could never be."
In Medina:

The news of Khalid's death broke like a storm over Madinah. The women took to the streets, led by the women of the Bani Makhzum, wailing and beating their breasts. Umar had heard the sad news and now heard the sounds of wailing. He was deeply angered. On his very first day as Caliph, he had given orders that here would be no wailing for departed Muslims. And there was logic in Umar's point of view. Why should we weep for those who have gone to paradise? the blissful abode promised by Allah to the Faithful! Umar had enforced the order, at times using his whip.

Umar now heard sounds of wailing. He stood up from the floor of his room, took his whip and made for the door. He would not permit disobedience of his orders; the wailing must be stopped at once! He got to the door, but there he paused. For a few silent moments the Caliph stood in the doorway, lost in thought. This was, after all, no ordinary death; this was the passing away of Khalid bin Al Waleed. Then he heard the sounds of mourning from the next house-his own daughter, Hafsa, widow of the Holy Prophet, was weeping for the departed warrior.

Umar turned back. He hung up his whip and sat down again. In this one case he would make an exception. "Let the women of the Bani Makhzum say what they will about Abu Sulaiman, for they do not lie", said the Caliph. "Over the likes of Abu Sulaiman weep those who weep."

The Prophet (saw) on Khalid Bin Al-Waleed:
"What an excellent slave of Allah: Khalid bin Al-Waleed, one of the swords of Allah, unleashed against the unbelievers!"
Abu Bakr (ra) on Khalid Bin Al-Waleed:
"Women will no longer be able to give birth to the likes of Khalid bin Al-Waleed."
I am the noble warrior;
I am the Sword of AllahKhalid bin Al Waleed!

The Story of Ibrahim (A.s) Sacrifice

Brothers and Sisters, all of us know the story of Ibrahim's sacrifice and we say that it was a test by Allah (ta'ala). But do we really understand what Ibrahim went through? Do we appreciate what it was like to be Ibrahim? Can we grasp in thought what happened? Why is it that we regard Ibrahim as the father of faith? What was it that he achieved?
Ibrahim (saw) is distinguished in the Quran with the title of khalil-ul-Allah (the intimate friend of Allah). In surat an-Nisa, Allah says : "For Allah did take Ibrahim for (an intimate) friend " (4:125)
He is also described in surat an-Nahl as a model : "Ibrahim was indeed a model. Devoutly obedient to Allah, and true in faith, and he joined not gods with Allah " (16:20).
Ibrahim was born among the star- and idol-worshipping people of Chaldea, in the home of Azar, his father, the idol-maker of the tribe. Ibrahim was among the kuffar, but not of them, like a spring of tawheed (monotheism) arising out of the swamp of shirk (polytheism). The Quran tells us in surat al-An`aam : " Lo! Ibrahim said to his father Azar : Do you take idols for God? For I see you and your people in manifest error? " (6:74).
From the revolt in the house of Azar, his father, Ibrahim went on to challenge the polytheism of his people. Indeed Ibrahim is know as history's great idol- smasher, as the founder of monotheism and the crusher of ignorance.
There are numerous verses in the Quran which describe how Ibrahim argued against idol-worshippers, his rational arguments against sceptics and those who worshipped celestial bodies, how he deals with unbelievers, how he preaches to his people. For instance, in surat al-Baqara Allah says : "Hast thou not turned thy vision to one who disputed with Abraham about his Lord, because God granted him power? Abraham said : ` My Lord is He who giveth life and death.' He said : `I give life and death.' Said Abraham : `But it is God that causeth the sun to rise from the East : Do then cause it to rise from the West.' Thus was he confounded who (in arrogance) rejected Faith. Nor doth God give guidance to a people unjust." (2:258)
In another example in surat al-Anbiya : We bestowed aforetime on Abraham his rectitude of conduct, and well were We acquainted with him. Behold! he said to his father and his people, `What are these images to which ye are (so assiduously) devoted?' They said, `We found our fathers worshipping them.' He said, 'Indeed ye have been in manifest error -- ye and your fathers.' They said, 'Have you brought us the Truth, or are you one of those who jest?' He said, `Nay, your Lord is the Lord of heavens and the earth, He who created them (from nothing) : I am a witness to this (truth). And by God, I have a plan for your idols -- after ye go away and turn your backs.' So he broke them to pieces, (all) but the biggest of them, that they might turn (and address themselves) to it. They said, `Who has done this to our gods? He must indeed be some man of impiety! ' They said, `We heard a youth talk of them : he is called Abraham.' They said, `Then bring him before the eyes of the people, that they may bear witness.' They said, `Art thou the one that did this with our gods, O Abraham?' He said, `Nay, this was done by -- This is their biggest one! Ask them, if they speak intelligently!' So they turned to themselves and said, ` Surely ye are the ones in the wrong!' Then were they confounded with shame: (they said) `Thou knowest full well that these idols do not speak!' (Abraham) said, Do ye then worship, besides God, things that can neither be of any good to you nor do you harm? Fie upon you, and upon the things that ye worship besides God! Have ye no sense?' They said, `Burn him and protect your gods, if ye do (anything at all)!' (21:51-68)
As usual, when falsehood is defeated on intellectual grounds it resorts to plotting and oppression. The response of his people to his da`wa is given in surat al-Ankabut : "So naught was the answer of (Ibrahim's) people except that they said : Slay him or burn him " (29:24) Ibrahim could have given up his message and his beliefs to save himself from the fire of Nimrod. Nut he chose martyrdom. He chose to die for Allah's message to live. He chose to step into the fire of ignorance and tyranny in order to save humanity from the fire of ignorance and tyranny. So he was cast into the fire.
But Allah had a different plan for Ibrahim and he was unhurt by the grace of Allah (ta'ala) : "But Allah did save him from the fire. Verily in this are signs for people who believe " (29:24). Allah also says : "We said `O fire! Be cool and a means of safety for Ibrahim' " (21:69). his miracle did not refrain the idol-worshippers from continuing for very long years their plots, persecution, abuse, cruelty and isolation against Ibrahim but he remained uncompromising, unshakeable in his beliefs, patient in his suffering, gentle in his manners until he made his hijra (he migrated) to the lands of Aram nad Canaan.
He left the land of his fathers to become a stranger in the land of promise.
Brothers and Sisters, it was indeed a land of promise. A land where Ibrahim continued a lifetime of struggle, da`wa, movement, bearing alone the heavy responsibility of the mission of Tawheed (monotheism) in an age of darkness, oppression, prejudice and ignorance. Ibrahim did not have children. And through- out his century of prophethood and service of God, as Ibrahim grew older, his desire to have a son grew stronger. The Prophet Ibrahim desperately longed for a son but his wife Hajar was barren.
"O my Lord! Grant me a righteous son!" (37:100) was his call to Allah.
Against every expectation, Allah fullfilled his promise of making Ibrahim the seed of a great line of Prophets, the root of the great universal religions. "So we gave him the good news of a forbearing boy" (37:101).
Allah brought mercy to the agedness, loneliness, hopelessness and anguish of his trustworthy Messenger. For Ibrahim, Ismail was not just a son for a sonless father, he was the end of a life of waiting, the reward of a century of suffering, the fruit of his life, the hope after despair and the young boy of an old father.
Ismael being the promise of future generations was in some sense the whole world for Ibrahim.
So there was joy and rejoicing in Ibrahim's house as Ismail was quickly growing under the sun of his father's love.
But Allah decided that it was not to remain so.
Brothers and Sisters, Ibrahim was to be tried once more. Ibrahim had a vision in which he was commanded by Allah to slaughter his only son.
Brothers and Sisters, why should Ibrahim, whose entire life was devoted to prophethood, to Jihaad, to removing ignorance, to laying the foundations of tawheed be tried once again?
Is it because man should not rest?
Is it because man should not be deceived by 100 years of Jihad and victories?
Is it because he should not think of himself without weakness?
Is it for the fact that whatever we fix our eyes upon in this world will blind us?
And finally, is it because the higher the spiritual height we reach, the greater is the danger of falling?
Brothers and Sisters, it is not possible to convey in words what it must have meant for Ibrahim to be commanded by Allah (ta'ala) to sacrifice his only son Ismail. The magnitude of the pain does not allow the imagination to enclose it. It inspires fear and trembling.
How can Ibrahim take his beloved son, the fruit of his life, the joy of his heart, the meaning of his living and staying, his Ismail, and hold him on the ground, put a knife to his throat and kill him?
If it were only the slaughter of Ibrahim at the hand of Ismail, how easy! But no! The young Ismail must die and the old and aged Ibrahim must remain!
Ibrahim, the steel-like idol-smasher must have felt torn apart!
Within him, there must have been a war, the greatest jihad. Which war? The war between God and Ismail! The difficulty of choice!
Who should Ibrahim choose?
Love of God or Love of self?
Prophethood or Fatherhood?
Loyalty to God or loyalty to family?
Faith or Emotion?
Truth or Reality?
Consciousness or Instinct?
Responsibility or Pleasure?
Duty or Right?
Tawheed (Monotheism) or Shirk (Polytheism)?
Advancing or Remaining?
To Become or To Be?
And finally, God or Ismail?
What should Ibrahim choose?
Brothers and Sisters, Ibrahim did not choose immediately. He doubted and wavered under the crushing force of pain and anguish. Only after the third vision did he finally decide to carry out Allah's command. This is reflected in the hajj ritual of stoning the three idols representing Iblis who tempted Ibrahim to disobey Allah.
When a `truth' enhances one's earthly life, most people become seekers of truth. But when a truth opposes life and leads to problems, loss and dangers the seekers of truth are few in number.
Iblis works wherever he finds traces of fear, weakness, doubt, despair, envy selfishness and even great affection towards someone or something. Iblis sometimes blows logical reasons, intellectual and religious justifications to achieve his ends.
For instance we may imagine that, under the powerful crush of his pain and distress, Ibrahim could have used many justifications. Perhaps the meaning of dhebh (slaughter) is just metaphorical and means kill your `ego'. Perhaps `Ismail' might be a general noun and not Ibrahim's son. Perhaps ``slaughter Ismail'' actually means ``slaughter the love of Ismail''. Ibrahim could have also tried many interpretations of his vision.
But Ibrahim, khalil-ul-Allah, the intimate friend of God, had faith in Allah and he knew that Allah (ta'ala) demanded the sacrifice. Abraham's conscience would make a mockery of all these logical justifications and reasons.
Ibrahim chose the Love of God over the Love of self, Prophethood over Fatherhood, Loyalty to God over Loyalty to family, Truth over Reality, Consciousness over Instinct, Responsibility over Pleasure, Duty over Right, Tawheed over Shirk. He preferred Advancing to Remaining.
Ibrahim chose God and gave up Ismail.
Brothers and Sisters, in Mina, an amazing and frightening conversation between a father and a son took place.
Ibrahim said to Ismail : "O my Son, I see in a vision that I offer you in sacrifice. Now see what is your view? " (37:102)
What frightening words for a child to hear!
Ismail could have kept silent. He could have asked Ibrahim to refrain.
But Ismail had also faith. He submitted to Allah's will. Realising his father's distress, Ismail gave him these comforting words : "O my father! Do as you are commanded. You will find me, if Allah so wills, patient and constant " (37:102)
Allah-u-Akbar! Allah-u-Akbar! Allah-u-Akbar!
Ibrahim had consulted his son who willingly offered himself to Allah's command. The choice of Ibrahim was sacrifice. That of Ismail was self-sacrifice : Martyrdom.
This gave Ibrahim strength. Ibrahim tied his heart to God, he took the Ismail of his life in one hand and the knife of his faith in the other and he walked until he reached the place of sacrifice. Ibrahim was suffering while believing and at every moment it was possible for him to retract and turn back. Yet he layed Ismail on the ground, putting his face away from him to give strength to his crushed soul and paralysed hand. And so he slaughtered Ismail. But, by Allah's grace, the knife did not cut.
Ibrahim received a sheep and was called by Allah :
"O Ibrahim! You have confirmed the Vision Thus indeed do We reward those who do right This is indeed the manifest trial!" (37:104-105)
Allah-u-Akbar! Allah-u-Akbar! Allah-u-Akbar!
Brothers and Sisters, Ibrahim gained everything and kept Ismail. This means that the God of Ibrahim is not thirsty for blood like the Inca gods or Hindu godesses were thirsty of blood.
It is the people, the servants of God who are hungry, and hungry of sheep meat.
And, symbolically, the only blood shed in this story is the blood of Iblis.
Brothers and Sisters, this means that from the very beginning God did not want Ismail to be slaughtered. He wanted Ibrahim to be the slaughterer of Ismail. When he became so, the slaughter became useless.
God, from the beginning, wanted Ismail to be the slaughter of God. And when it happened, his sacrifice became useless.
Mankind has needs but God has no needs. He is Self-Sufficient. Allah (ta`ala) in His Wisdom raised Ibrahim to the highest peak of sacrificing his Ismail without sacrificing Ismail. Allah (ta`ala) promoted Ismail to the highest peak of being the great sacrifice of God without bringing any harm to him.
This event is not about the torment and torture of mankind but about the perfection of humanity, the freedom from the prison of instinct and selfishness and about the elevation of spirit.
This momentous event also teaches us, through Ibrahim, that human life, Ismail's, Ibrahim's, everyone's, acquires its meaning and value from God -- The Source of Creation -- and not from nature. It signifies that the good things in life, represented by Ismail, derive their value not from the mere fact that they exist and can be valued, enjoyed and delighted in, but from God, The Source of Creation Himself. Ibrahim was, in some sense, giving back Ismail to receive him again on the proper basis.
Brothers and Sisters, different people organise differently their loyalty to God, to the family and to the nation or the state. A secular mind owes and absolute duty to the nation (and the family) whereas a religious conscience owes absolute duty to God. For a secular mind Ibrahim was willing to MURDER Ismail but for a religious conscience he was willing to SACRIFICE Ismail. Ibrahim therefore instructs that we should owe absolute duty only to God and it is our relationship to God which ought to transcend and determine out relation to family/nation and not vice-versa.
Brothers and Sisters, there still is a lot to understand and discover about this momentus event. These are only a few possible meanings. Only a few, and just possible, because as Ibrahim taught us to be less complacent and more critical about having attained faith, we should be less complacent and more critical about having attained understanding.
Brothers and Sisters, the Ismail of Ibrahim was his son. But you, who is your Ismail? what is it?
Your degree? Your reputation? Your position? Your money? Your home? Your car? Your beloved? Your family? Your knowledge? Your title? Your dress? Your fame? Your soul? Your spirituality? Your Beauty? Your strength? Your career?
How does one know?
Well, you know this yourself. One can only give its signs to you.
Whatever is in your eyes which holds the place of Ismail in the eyes of Ibrahim!
Whatever weakens you on the way of faith!
Whatever stops you in your movement!
Whatever brings doubt to your responsibility!
Whatever has enchained your freedom!
Whatever leads you to compromise and justification!
That very thing which deafens your ears before the Message of Truth!
Whatever calls you to remain with yourself!
Whatever causes you to flee from your duty!
Whoever or Whatever keeps you behind in order to remain with her/him or it !
Brothers and Sisters, these are the signs of our Ismail's. Let us search for them in ourselves and let us slaughter them to move towards Allah (ta'ala) and to remove the real knife from the throat of oppressed Muslims from Bosnia to Kashmir, from somalia to Palestine.
Brothers and Sisters, let us revolt against the heartless worshippers that we have become.
Remember our Eid is not a Eid of victory. It is the Eid of sacrifice (adha).