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300 : Battle of Thermopylae ( THE REAL STORY)

INTRODUCTION:

An Allied force of approximately 7,000 men thus marched north to block the pass in the summer of 480 BC. The Persian army, alleged by the ancient sources to have numbered in the millions, arrived at the pass in late August or early September. Vastly outnumbered, the Greeks held up the Persians for seven days in total (including three of battle), before the rear-guard was annihilated in one of history's most famous last stands. During two full days of battle, the small force led by King Leonidas I of Sparta blocked the only road by which the massive Persian army could pass. After the second day of battle, a local resident named Ephialtes betrayed the Greeks by revealing a small path that led behind the Greek lines. Aware that they were being outflanked, Leonidas dismissed the bulk of the Greek army, and remained to guard the rear with 300 Spartans, 700 Thespians, 400 Thebans and perhaps a few hundred others, the vast majority of whom were killed.

King Leonidas of Sparta :

Leonidas was a king of Sparta, the 17th of the Agiad line, one of the sons of KingAnaxandridas II of Sparta, who was believed in mythology to be a descendant of Heracles, possessing much of the latter's strength and bravery. While it has been established that King Leonidas of Sparta died at the Battle of Thermopylae in August, 480 BC, very little is known about the year of his birth, or for that matter, his formative years. Paul Cartledge has narrowed the date of the birth of King Leonidas to around 540 BC.

Leonidas was one of three brothers: he had an older brother Dorieus and a younger brother Cleombrotus, who ruled as regent for a while on Leonidas' death before the regency was taken over by Pausanias, who was Cleombrotus' son. Leonidas succeeded his half-brother Cleomenes I, probably in 489 or 488 BC, and was married to Cleomenes' daughter, Gorgo. His name was raised to heroic status as a result of the events in the Battle of Thermopylae, one of the most famous battles in ancient history.

Sparta :

Sparta was a city-state in ancient Greece, situated on the River Eurotas in the southern part of thePeloponnese.

From c. 650 BC it rose to become the dominant military power in the region and as such was recognized as the overall leader of the combined Greek forces during the Greco-Persian Wars. Helots were the majority inhabitants of Sparta (over 80% of the population according to Herodotus). They were ritually humiliated and during the Crypteia they could be legally killed by Spartan citizens. Between 431 and 404 BC Sparta was the principal enemy of Athens during the Peloponnesian War. By 362 BC Sparta's role as the dominant military power in Greece was over.

Despite being a rather cruel state by most European standards, Spartan ideals have been adopted (although on a far less extreme scale) and admired throughout Europe; an admiration of Sparta is called laconophilia

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Swine influenza (also called swine flu, hog flu, pig flu and sometimes, the swine) is an infection by any one of several types of swine influenza virus. Swine influenza virus(SIV) is any strain of the influenza family of viruses that is endemic in pigs.^[2] As of 2009, the known SIV strains include influenza C and the subtypes of influenza A known asH1N1, H1N2, H3N1, H3N2, and H2N3.

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Struggling World Economy

The struggling world economy has hit everyone. Even super heroes are being forced to take mass transit instead o the low gas mileage super vehicles.

love story

GHEEBAH ( backbiting)

what is gheebah ?

Gheebah or backbiting means speaking about a Muslim in his absence and saying things that he would not like to have spread around or mentioned. Buhtaan or slander means saying things about a Muslim that are not true, or in other words telling lies about him. Nameemah or malicious gossip means telling one person what another said in order to cause trouble between them.

Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“neither backbite one another. Would one of you like to eat the flesh of his dead brother? You would hate it (so hate backbiting). And fear Allaah. Verily, Allaah is the One Who forgives and accepts repentance, Most Merciful” [al-Hujuraat 49:12]

It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allaah SAWS (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Do you know what gheebah (backbiting) is?” They said, “Allaah and His Messenger know best.” He said, “Saying something about your brother that he dislikes.” It was said, “What if what I say about my brother is true?” He said, “If what you say is true then you have backbitten about him, and if it is not true, then you have slandered him.”

Narrated by Muslim, 2589

The Prophet (s) once gave counsel to Abu Dharr (r) , saying: “O Abu Dharr! Beware of backbiting, for backbiting is graver than adultery (zina’).” Abu Dharr (r) said: “Why is that so, O Messenger of Allah?” He (s) replied: “That is because when a man commits adultery and then repents to God, God accepts his repentance. However, backbiting is not forgiven until forgiven by its victim.”

Al-Hurr al-`Amili, Wasai'l al-Shi`ah, vol. 8, hadith no. 18312

Prohibition of Listening to Backbiting

In the same manner as backbiting is prohibited, so also is listening to it. Indeed, as some traditions indicate, the listener is like the backbiter in all the evil aspects—so much so that his act is a grave sin carrying an obligation to seek forgiveness from the victim.

The Prophet (s) said: “The listener is one of the two backbiters.”

q Al-Fayd al-Kashani, Al-Mahajjat al-Bayda', vol. 5, p. 260

Imam al-Sadiq (‘a) narrated from the Noble Messenger (s) who is once said to have forbidden both backbiting and listening to it. Then he (s) said: “Lo, whoever does a favour to his brother by refuting his backbiting upon hearing it in a gathering, God shall save him from a thousand kinds of evils in this world and in the Hereafter. And if he does not do so despite his ability to refute it, on him shall be the burden of one who commits his backbiting seventy times.”

q Al-Hurr al-`Amili, Wasa'il al-Shi`ah, vol. 8, hadith no. 16316

Among the more subtle forms of backbiting is listening to it with amazement. Such a person expresses his amazement in order to make the backbiter more lively in his descriptions. His amazement encourages the latter in his evil act. For instance, he will say, “Strange” or “Astaghfirullah!”. Or he might say, “I didn't know that!” or “I didn't know he would do such a thing!” These expressions are meant to affirm the backbiter's statements and to encourage him to add something more. These acts are in fact the Devil's artifices. Surely, to affirm backbiting is also backbiting; as is to listen to it, or even to remain silent upon hearing it.

q al-Shahid al-Thani's Discourse as quoted in Forty Hadith by Ayatullah Khumayni.

Conclusion:

q The Prophet (s) said: "No fire is faster in consuming dry wood than gheebah in consuming a devotee's virtues." [Al-Mahajjat al-bayda', vol. 5, p. 264]