Things Fall Apart By Chinua Achebe - 984 Words

Things Fall Apart, a novel written by Chinua Achebe, introduces readers to a strong-willed man who is desperate to be the opposite of his father: successful. Throughout the novel, Okonkwo unknowingly embarks on a figurative journey that highlights his character and illuminates the theme, which is that the sacrifices of one affects many, especially in the case of a family. Though he travels physically with his family, single-minded Okonkwo travels alone mentally, emphasizing the figurative nature of his journey. Obstacles faced on Okonkwo’s journey have caused his charactered to be developed in a negative aspect, because he becomes more vicious and afraid to show endearment. Okonkwo is not described as a stubborn child. Achebe depicts a boy who grew up in Umuofia and lived in poverty due to the negligence of his father. His father Unoka accumulated much debt and was considered a failure by Okonkwo, who was first ashamed of his father when one of his peers â€Å"had told him th at his father was agbala† (17). Agbala is used to describe a woman, or a man that had not earned a title in the clan. Unoka had failed to adequately support his family, because they â€Å"barely had enough to eat† (9). Their well-being was endangered because of Unoka’s lack of stability, and because he did not want to hunt; he could not stand the sight of blood. Okonkwo believed that reason for his father’s dereliction was because of his values: gentleness and idleness. That inference led to Okonkwo’s developmentShow MoreRelatedThings Fall Apart By Chinua Achebe1415 Words   |  6 Pagesbook Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe does just that. This book should be taught in schools because it shows the values and traditions of Achebe’s Igbo culture, persistently teaches life lessons throughout the book, and shows the darker reality of European colonialism in Africa. Chinua Achebe is known as one of the most influential and famous authors to ever write. Chinua Achebe originates from an Igbo background and he expresses that through his writings very well including Things Fall ApartRead MoreThings Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe1324 Words   |  6 Pages Chinua Achebe chose to write his novels in English to reveal a deep response of his people to colonisation and to make that response understood to people all over the world. Things Fall Apart was written in English to teach people worldwide of the struggles he faced and the people of Nigeria faced growing up. Many authors and critics have written about Achebe’s ‘Things fall apart’ adding their valued opinion on what he was trying to say and his decision to write in English. In the followingRead MoreThings Fall Apart By Chinua Achebe Essay1203 Words   |  5 Pages who took their land for monetary gain. This was a dark period of time for Africans that live there. The U.S. Civil War and The Great Depression both can be related, in this instance, to how down their people were because of what happened. Chinua Achebe said it best, â€Å"I would be quite satisfied if my novels...did no more than teach my readers of their past...was not a long night of savagery from which the first European acting on God’s behalf delivered them†(qtd. in â€Å"Morning Yet† 45). In theRead MoreThings Fall Apart By Chinua Achebe1452 Words   |  6 Pagesassume control over the Roman Empire. However, imperialism in Africa remained a recorded element from 1750 to 1945. This paper visits how control and changes were influences over the Africans during this time period as seen through Chinua Achebe’s novel Things Fall Apart. (UKEssays, 2015) Europe was experiencing a few financial and political changes that forced the major European forces to investigate abroad regions to add to their resources during the seventeenth century. In order for the EuropeanRead MoreThings Fall Apart By Chinua Achebe2361 Words   |  10 PagesThings Fall Apart Book Critique Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe is a historical fiction novel describing the life of Okonkwo in a Nigerian village succumbing to European ways, in order to portray Achebe’s view on imperialism. It was chosen for us to read by our teacher because it describes imperialism and its effects in an Ibo village of Nigeria. It also shows the treatment of natives by the Europeans and how the natives reacted. Things Fall Apart is useful to our course of studies because itRead MoreThings Fall Apart By Chinua Achebe1265 Words   |  6 PagesThings Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe is markedly relevant to our current course of studies in World History, as it tells a story based on European Imperialism in Africa. Coming off the heels of our Imperialism unit, this post-colonial novel provides very helpful context on different civilizations’ perspectives throughout the Age of Imperialism; aside from analyzing death tolls, descriptions of conflicts, and names of countries, it was previousl y hard to envision what life was actually like during thatRead MoreThings Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe 735 Words   |  3 PagesThings fall apart. Achebe. Ernest Gaines once said, â€Å"I write to try to find out who I am. One of my main themes is manliness. I think Im trying to figure out what manliness really is.† Indeed, every society or culture has its own understanding of an ideal man. Even though these characteristics are different in various parts of the world, the significance of masculinity can never be overestimated. â€Å"Things Fall Apart† by Chinua Achebe is considered as one of the best examples of a riseRead MoreThings Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe692 Words   |  3 Pagesthe way to go. Through commercial trading Islam spread into Igboland, and this led to more Igbo people leaving the Igbo way of life for another, whether it be Islam or Christianity which divide the country in two. In the novel Things Fall Apart written by Chinua Achebe British colonialism and the migration of Muslims to Nigeria led to the change in the faith, social and economic changes in the Igbo society. Traditional Igbo faith believes that there is only one creator or god known as ChinekeRead MoreThings Fall Apart By Chinua Achebe897 Words   |  4 PagesIn the novel, â€Å"Things Fall Apart† by Chinua Achebe the Igbo tradition revolves around structured gender role. Everything essential of Igbo life is based on their gender, which throughout the novel it shows the role of women and the position they hold, from their role in the family household, also planting women crops, to bearing children. Although the women were claimed to be weaker and seemed to be treated as objects, in the Igbo culture the women still provided qualities that make them worthyRead MoreThings Fall Apart By Chinua Achebe Essay1851 Words   |  8 Pageschoice and styles are critical not only to the reader’s understanding of the text but to his appreciation as well. How language is effectively manipulated in their writings enhances the reader’s valuing of the works. The selected novel Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe is a representation of Igbo culture and their language. It explores the life of an Igbo tribe at the time of when colonization hit Africa. It could be considered as a post-colonial text, as the protagonist of the story and the other

How did Transportation Change During the Industrial Revolution Free Essays

How did Transportation Change During the Industrial Revolution? The universe had gone through two industrial revolutions. The first revolution began in the 1700s. And the 2nd revolution happened in the 1860s. We will write a custom essay sample on How did Transportation Change During the Industrial Revolution or any similar topic only for you Order Now Both of the revolutions were the most of import periods in the history of human society because they influenced about every facet of life and particularly brought the universe wholly new sorts of transits. Steam engine, waterway, route, and railway experienced chiefly betterment during the first revolution, and the 2nd revolution brought the innovations of car and aeroplane ; both they played an indispensable function in the development of transit in history. The steam engine was one of the most critical constituents that had been invented during the first industrial revolution. It contributed a batch to the betterment of transit. Thomas Newcomen was the first individual who invented the steam engine. However, the usage of the steam engine was expensive and non efficient. ( World History text edition ) Until 1765, James Watt, one of the greatest subscribers to transit, reformed the steam engine to be more efficient and consume less fuel by adding a separate capacitor to Newcomen’s engine. Watt’s betterment had saved about 75 per centum of the fuel that had antecedently been used by the engine. ( Kendra Bolon ) After the betterment, the steam engine had been used loosely on the other transits, such as steam ship and steam engine. The steam engine non merely improved the manner of transporting, but besides the quality of life. For illustration, people could go by taking locomotor and steam ship. Furthermore, they could bask th e life by watching the landscape during the trip. Therefore, the steam engine was the most unbelievable transit in the universe. Roadss, canals, and railroads were three major constituents of transit improved during the first industrial revolution. Peoples used the roads as the basic manner to transport the goods from one topographic point to another. Roadss were in really bad fix before the first revolution, and it were non efficient for people to transport goods. ( World History text edition ) John MacAdam, Thomas Telford, and John Metcalfe all developed the new roads building techniques. Thomas Telford made new foundations in roads with big level rocks. John MacAdam equipped roadbeds with a bed of big rocks ; hence, people could transport goods on a showery twenty-four hours. Canal was another critical portion of transits, which allowed goods to be transported through a series of semisynthetic waterways. Transporting goods by canal lowered the hazards of besotted merchandises during path. Furthermore, a canal flatboat could transport more merchandises than the other signifiers of transit during that clip. C anal besides cost less money for transporting ware. For the ground of transporting heavy goods from topographic point to topographic point, the betterment of railroad began in 1800, which made a great spring in transporting engineering in human history. The improved steam engine led the running locomotor with decently powered technique of turn overing. The betterment of railroads allowed the towns and metropoliss to turn quickly. In the mid-18Thursday, Abraham Darby made a plate manner of dramatis personae Fe on top of tracks that allowed the furnaces working and able to raise the Fe home base. In 1789, William Jessop developed an â€Å"L† shaped rail which held the waggon on the path. Goods could be transferred within a short sum of clip, which helped to further the agricultural and fishing industries. The engine was capable of transporting ternary sum of goods compared to the horse-pulled waggons. ( Mrs. Abiah Darby ) The betterment of route, canal, and railway changed the manner of transporting, the sum and distance of transporting goods increased significantly and affected how people lived consequently. The car and aeroplane were the two most unbelievable signifiers of transits that were been invented during the 2nd industrial revolution in the 1860s. Car was important signifier of transit since it affected the whole universe. The car was foremost invented by Karl Benz in 1886. Later on, in 1908, Henry Ford made the car low-cost for people by presenting the assembly line. ( World History text edition ) Automobile enabled people to travel anyplace they wanted to at any clip. It’s the most convenient tool for people to travel. As for the other of import innovation, aeroplane, was built in 1903 by Wilbur and Orville Wright. ( World History text edition ) Around 400 BC, Archytas was reputed as the first individual designed and built the first automotive winging device. While the Wright brothers made the first successful attempt to transport a adult male rose by aeroplane. The first aeroplane flew of course at even velocity, and descended without harm. Although the flight lasted merely 59 seconds, it marked an of import start of the aircraft industry. The visual aspect of car changed the whole universe wholly in that it provided a convenient and low-cost manner to transport and travel for people. The creative activity of aeroplane broadens the range and distance of the transit, which may transports riders and goods across continents and land. These two innovations both brought important influence to people. In decision, during the first and 2nd industrial revolutions, transit had gone through dramatic alteration and betterment. It non merely brought effectual and efficient manner of transporting, but besides influenced and shaped people’s life, about every facet in people’s day-to-day life. With the progress of engineering, transit progressed. The steam engine led to the application of locomotor and steamboat, which increased transporting capacity and therefore facilitated more production machines for fabrication in other industries. Trade enlargement was fostered by the debut of canals, improved roads and railroads. The innovation of car grounded the basic manner of transit for people while the aeroplane provided a faster manner from topographic point to topographic point. The first and 2nd industrial revolution marked a turning point in human history, and transit played a critical function impacting people’s life socially and economically. Bibliography: Bolon, Kendra.The Steam Engine. N.p. : Kendra Bolon, 2001. N. pag. hypertext transfer protocol: //www.history.rochester.edu/steam/thurston/1878/ . Web. Bustamante, Crystal. Transportation during the Industrial Revolution. N.p. : Crystal Bustamante, 2009. N. pag. Web. 26 Jan. 2009. Bulter, Scott, Keats, Thedawnbringer, Hedleygb, and Peter. How has conveyance changed since the Industrial Revolution? N.p. : n.p. , n.d. N. pag. Web. 13 Nov. 2013. Industrial revolution research. N.p. : HTML5 UP, n.d. N. pag. Web.v Mack, Pamela E. Transportation. N.p. : n.p. , 2002. N. pag. Web. 27 Sept. 2002. Roadss, Canals and Railways – the Transport revolution. N.p. : n.p. , UK. N. pag. Web. 2013. The Industrial Revolution: 1750-1900. N.p. : n.p. , n.d. N. pag.KCCIS. Web. 14 Nov. 2013. Transportation. N.p. : n.p. , n.d. N. pag. Web. 22 Nov. 2013. How to cite How did Transportation Change During the Industrial Revolution, Essay examples

Leading and Managing People Through Teams Working MyAssignmenthelp

Question: Discuss about the Leading and Managing People Through Teams Working. Answer: Introduction Management is an important field that every company is looking after in achieving success. There are numerous reasons that would compel the manager to seek solace in the course so that the company can get results, acquire good knowledge, and realize plans. According to Collinson (2005), management exposes an individual to undertake different functions and complete tasks efficient and effectively through others. Management involves getting things done and accomplished through or with people. Boyatzis (2010) also affirms that management focuses on overseeing and coordinating the activities and tasks of people to achieve the organizational goals. Without a doubt, by studying management, an individual gets to understand the key roles of managers and accomplish organizational goals through planning, leading, organizing and controlling. In Oman and other countries, business remains a popular study program as it attracts many business students. Studying business management has thus become relevant to the current situation. Business management studies still relevant skills and knowledge to run and maintain business activities. With this course, the students get an opportunity to learn teamwork. Motivating workers to succeed is important but not sufficient for an organization to maximize production. Importantly, the culture of working together as teams is essential in achieving organizational goals (Boyatzis 2010). Currently, no company in Oman or any other country that rarely understand or practice teamwork culture. This implies that companies are run through teams. To this effect, the business management skills are required as they enlighten the students on how to work in teams for the benefit of the business. For instance, in many business management courses, the professors teach students the significance of working as a team. To instil the team culture, the lecturers give projects where students would work together to provide deliverables. These efforts ensures that the student understand how they can work with various personalities and maximize their knowhow to achieve organizational goals. Bringing people together in teams is also a way to build and improve their skills. Therefore, through these teams, the individual can learn to manage others. Senior Managers and Team-Working Interdisciplinary teams are individuals who work together in a complex environment and process to achieve organizational success. Companies have employees with diverse background, yet they share knowledge, skills, and expertise through teamwork. Indisputably, the modern business environment has stressed the significance of interdisciplinary teamwork. With the growing interdisciplinary education, insignificant number of scholars has provided evidence relating to delivering of interdisciplinary teamwork. Given the multifactorial nature of the work handled by teams, the success of these teams would depend on the management structures, individual relationships, the skill mix, and service organizations (Nancarrow, Booth, Ariss, Smith, Enderby, Roots 2013). Teams have become a critical success factors in any project. However, the team members must embrace symbiosis relationship. Although the team members do not have to agree, they must work together in a team climate to enhance the perfor mance of all members. Team, as a success factor has attracted the attention of different scholars in the modern world. Maslin-Prothero (2010) has defined it as a distinctive strategy upon which people can harness their strengths collective skills and energy to achieve the groups objectives. Rico, De La Hera, and Tabernero (2011) also believed that the teams could be established based on different functions and purposes, such as social affiliation and achieving personal goals. Interestingly, Delarue, Van Hootegem, Procter, and Burridge (2008) held that through teams, individuals could stifle creativity thus hinder decision-making process. Nevertheless, in most cases, individuals combine their clear relevance to the business, effective task performance, and high morale to meet the expectations of the clients. The group members tend to work interdependently and remain committed to the shared goals thus produce results. PHSA (2017) has added that teams are individuals with complementary skills who are committ ed to performance goals, common purpose, and approaches. Through symbiotic process, teamwork produces better results than individual performance (Prabhakar 2013). In the new global market, managers have to be responsive to the powers and capabilities of teams in determining organizational success. Based on the publications of Hill and Lineback (2012), effective managers maximize the potential of teams to lead. Nobody has the powers to question the potential of managers. However, the circumstances are changing and managers have to be responsive to these dynamics. The moment has come, when they have to involve teams to achieve organizational success. Importantly, the managers who can manage their teams are great managers because they can create real teams and manage through such developments. Tarricone and Luca (2002) affirmed that it is irrelevant and irresponsive for the modern managers to use authority to build relationships. they have to use trust to build these developments. it falls within the purview of the collaboration and connection with people an individual has no control over. Managing teams might seem a straightforward and clear concept. However, Hicks (2010) has affirmed that it is nonintrusive concept as many managers still struggle to understand it. Without a doubt, managing through teams is the new formula the managers need to use to solve the problems experienced in the modern market. In fact, by using the social dynamics, the bosses can manage team members. Managing teams on a one-by-one basis is a tasking affair that managers must dispel. Despite these leaders extoling the significance of teamwork, they are yet to understand how to manage teams properly. It is understood that not all groups are team thus it become critical to define a team. Why teams are better than groups Teams are groups of people who undertake collective work and remain mutually committed to their common purpose. In most cases, teams are critical because they have proved innovative and productive compared to the working groups. Morgeson, DeRue, and Karam (2010) affirmed that teams have incessantly produced results that have exceeded the group of individuals who work through coordination and cooperation. Through the team effects, the team members have found new avenues to maximize their potentials. Teams boast of the mutual commitment to work together. With the new commitment, the teams have created emotional and social bonds that have ensured the members succeed together. The mutual commitment has significantly helped to create potent interpersonal bonds. Hill and Lineback (2012) related the mutual commitment to mutual sense of purpose. For instance, every performing team understands that it exists for a reason. Such teams have established clear purpose that can ensure achievements of deliverables. Tangible gaols have made it a sustainable purpose where every team can pursue a specific and real goal. Indeed, the specific goals and purpose have become the bonding factors in a team. Purpose without goals would surmount to a dream. Similarly, goals without purpose would be disastrous. Therefore, teams need clear concrete goals and purpose so that every team member understands his or her responsibilities and roles. With clarity, the team members would understand the work processes, stands, values, and norms (Hill Lineback 2012). In any business environment, business analysts require leadership intelligence. This is because; leadership focuses on motivating people so that they can work together in achieving shared objectives and goals (Boyatzis 2010). Motivation triggers the desire of an individual to perform their tasks. To this effect, business analysts should be effective in their leadership roles. As such, these analysts can guide others to investigate their requirements and encourage others to support them. Without leadership, the companies can never realize their business goals because they act on unrealistic plans, poor shared objectives and goals, inefficient processes that hinder productivity and creativity. In fact, in any environment where there are more than two people, conflicts are inevitable. However, the organization uses leadership to resolve these conflicts amicably. Therefore, when the company lacks proper leadership, resolving such problems could be a concern. Accordingly, the modern society no longer require a dissonant leader who micromanages everything in the society. Conversely, the society seems to embrace resonant leaders who inspire, trusted, empowered, and excited to achieve the organizational goals. Regarding the case study, the need for training leaders to become effective is creating in responding to the dynamism in the market. This indicates that companies and managers are recognizing the importance or resonant leadership. The resonant leaders maximize their emotional intelligence competencies to establish the best relationship. Studies have indicated that not all great managers are effective leaders (Maslin-Prothero 2010). For example, many corporations would function smoothly when some managers are ejected from their positions. The emotional intelligence competency model ensures the manager understands, recognizes, and utilizes their emotional information to achieve superior performance. The emotional intelligence competencies are evident in adult than the cognitive intelligence. Therefore, resonant leaders embrace emotional intelligence competencies because they build shared vision, inspire others, and give hope. These leaders also care about the team members thus make decisions based on the teams interests. Similarly, the resonant leaders are mindful of others and seem authentic, genuine, transparent, and honest. They have used authentic leadership model in acting with integrity (Batool 2013). How emotional intelligent leadership model works On daily basis, businesses and individual undergo stressful moments. This situation may stall the functioning and working of ones immune system. In such a case, an individual would experience emotional, perceptual, and cognitive impairment (Boyatzis 2010). They thus close up to personal improvements, relationships, blocks creativity, and rarely values or listens to the opinions of others. Nonetheless, the individual would get a renewal moment that ensures the body rebuilds neurologically. Such a person becomes open to new emotions, ideas, new possibilities, adaptation, learning, and other people. According to Tarricone and Luca (2002), leaders have always provoked renewal experiences by embracing hope, compassion, mindfulness, and playfulness. Business analysts and economists have always valued efficiency in achieving business goals. Companies have also responded to the market dynamics by consulting individuals with specialized business intelligence (Boyatzis 2010). Previously, many team leaders went through team development activities, such as going meetings, on-boarding, building business plans with teams, and explaining the shared goals. The best step is for the manager to understand the coaching with compassion is a process that will trigger motivation among the employees. It forms the basis of emotional intelligence. Hicks (2010) argued that emotional intelligences ensures the leader of manager understand his or her emotions, aligns vision, define the learning goal, experiment improvement, and catch the right moments. Coaching for discovery is also essential in improving the performance of the workforce. Therefore, when the employees attend the leadership training programs, they acquire skills that make them productiv e. Healthcare sector has experienced workforce restructuring that has compelled the managers to embrace interdisciplinary teams. With these teams, it has been possible to integrate new modes of medical delivery services with organizational values. According to Hicks (2010), the changing organizational value shave influenced the entire healthcare, especially the rehabilitation, primary care, and elderly care. The primary care has received the least level of success regarding the interdisciplinary teamwork. Therefore, the new generation of healthcare professionals should embrace the interdisciplinary culture to succeed. In the United Kingdom, community-based services have incessantly offered quality care for the elderly thus preventing the admissions for acute care. The community-based services have simplified the interdisciplinary teamwork. For example, CRAIC has employed an interdisciplinary team composed of occupational therapists, physiotherapists, and nurses thus embrace role sharing . Conclusion Based on this article, it is evident that companies need the collaborative and partnership efforts from all stakeholders to realize their goals. Management and leadership efforts have defined the success of organization. Indeed, many success companies have invested in employee development to improve their ability to maximize their productivity. The modern society and compelling pressures have forced managers to embrace authentic or democratic leadership model where they lead through others. Based on the cases, it is evident that creating interdisciplinary teams have made organizations competitive, innovative, and productive. Without a doubt, training employees on the significance of teamwork has ensured they achieve organizational goals together thus improve their skills. Teamwork has given employees opportunities to maximize their performance and complement their skills. Therefore, nobody can question the ability of teamwork in outsmarting individual performance. Indisputably, companies have come under intense pressure to deliver and meet the expectations of clients and targeted audience. To this effect, the managers have opted to lead and manage through teams. Since many people were never born leaders, the company must help in developing them. This involves training them on the relevant skills required in the modern competitive environment. Teambuilding is a culture that has seen team members are empowered and inspired to improve their capabilities. Through training, an individual acquires the best skills and knowledge on how to improve team relation. The training also allows the employees to acquire strong leadership competencies that are in tandem with the current market situation. By admission, leaders must continuously invest in staff training to counter competitive pressures. Therefore, through new leadership models, such as democratic and authenticity theories, it has proved important to equip employees with the needed skills to fit in the environment. Proper leadership is achievable through emotional intelligence because it taps into the human emotions and attributes. This makes the emotional intelligence competencies important in motivating and developing employees. Reference List Batool, B.F. (2013) Emotional intelligence and effective leadership, Journal of Business Studies Quarterly, vol. 4, no. 3. (Available at https://jbsq.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/March_2013_8.pdf) Boyatzis, R. E. (2010) Inspiring effective leadership through emotional intelligence, esade.edu, April 6. (Available at https://www.esade.edu/itemsweb/content/produccion/4003260.pdf) Collinson, D. (2005) Questions of Distance, Leadership, vol. 1, no. 2, pp. 235-250. Delarue, A., Van Hootegem, G., Procter, S., Burridge, M. (2008) Teamworking and organizational performance: a review of survey-based research, International Journal of Management Review, vol. 10, iss. 2, pp. 127-148. Herb, E., Leslie, K., Price, C. (2001) Teamwork at the top, McKinsey Quarterly, May (available at https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/organization/our-insights/teamwork-at-the-top) Hicks, B. (2010) Team coaching: a literature review. Institute for Employment Studies, Brighton, UK. (Available at https://www.employment-studies.co.uk/system/files/resources/files/mp88.pdf) Hill, L. Lineback, K. (2012) Good managers lead through a team, Harvard Business Review, April 3 (available at https://hbr.org/2012/04/good-managers-lead-through-a-t) Maslin-Prothero, S.E. (2010) Integrated team working: a literature review, International Journal of Integrated Care, vol. 10, p. e043. Morgeson, F.P., DeRue, D.S., Karam, E.P. (2010) Leadership in teams: a functional approach to understanding leadership structures and processes, Journal of Management, vol. 36, no. 1, pp. 5-39. Nancarrow, S., Booth, A., Ariss, S., Smith, T., Enderby, P., Roots, A. (2013) Ten principles of good interdisciplinary team work, Human Resources for Health, vol. 11, no. 19. Nancarrow, S.A., Booth, A., Ariss, S., Smith, T., Enderby, P., Roots, A. (2013) Team principles of good interdisciplinary team work, Human Resources for Health, vol. 11, no. 19. (Available at https://human-resources-health.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1478-4491-11-19) PHSA. (2017) Inspiring leadership through emotional intelligence, Learning Hub, May 4. (Available at https://learninghub.phsa.ca/Courses/6488/inspiring-leadership-through-emotional-intelligence) Prabhakar, G.P. (2013) Teams and projects: a literature review, International Journal of Business and Management, vol. 3, no. 10, pp. 3-7. Rico, R., De La Hera, M.C., Tabernero, C. (2011) Work team effectiveness, a review of research from the last decades (1999-2009), Psychology in Spain, vol. 15, no. 1, pp. 57-79. Tarricone, P. Luca, J. (2002) Successful teamwork: a case study, Unice.fr, pp. 640-646. (Available at https://www.unice.fr/crookall-cours/teams/docs/team%20Successful%20teamwork.pdf)

JD sports free essay sample

Describe the differences between primary and secondary market research. The difference between primary and secondary research mainly lies in the way in which the information is collected. Primary market research data is collected by observing the behaviour and opinions of consumers through questionnaires, experiments etc†¦ Secondary market research relies on data that has already been collected whether it is by internal or external sources such as government census, trade associations or transaction records. Primary research tends to be more valuable as it is designed with a specific company aim in mind. Secondary research whilst potentially more cost efficient isn’t as reliable as it may be available to competitors or out of date. Use an example from the case study to explain the purpose of market research. The purpose of market research is to gain an understanding and awareness of consumer trends, competitor activity, possible future planning and the need to identify changes within a given sector. We will write a custom essay sample on JD sports or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page One way that companies conduct this research is via an exit survey with consumers before they leave the premises. Usually covering a cross section of stores exit surveys provide the ideal opportunity to obtain valuable face to face information and views from the consumers spread across various locations and regions. This helps assist with demographic variants within current trends, gives an idea of travelling distances and may potentially help to identify new locations for company expansion. Whilst conducting exit surveys it is possible to identify the reason for the visit to the store and why the consumer did or didn’t make a purchase. The company can then take this information and use it to help identify any possible changes in trends helping to provide sound planning strategies and gain an understanding of current consumer needs reducing any risk or uncertainty in the future. When used in conjunction with other forms of market research exit surveys can help to validate and support additional information that has been gathered. Analyse why market research should be viewed as an on-going process. Market research should be viewed as an on-going process in order for the company to keep up to date with the following information and also to ensure that current demand and future financial risk are secure and informed. Helps to see where you are in the market compared to competitors. Potential to diversify range into other areas. Gives consumer insight into the company. Helps with acquisition and expansion. Ability to build customer profiles. Build on existing customer base. Stay up to date with current trends. Evaluate how market research, if undertaken properly, adds value to the decisions made by a large company. Why does it help to reduce risk? If market research is undertaken properly it can add value to the decisions made within a company as it gives up to date well informed feedback. It can cover all aspects of the industry helping to meet current demands and foreseeing potential future changes. It can also help assist with growth and expansion plans and give an idea of where the company stands in the market compared to competitors. As a company JD was founded in 1981, it has grown both organically and inorganically in this time. JD employs a very proactive approach to market research which is evident in its success during a turbulent time within its industry. When market research is conducted properly it allows the company to collate the information gathered and use tools such as an Ansoff matrix to help assess the level of risk the company is facing. Without properly undertaken market research a company would not be able to understand the most important factors relevant to moving forward and would simply be guessing when considering any future plans.

Qué es Global Entry para acelerar paso por control migratorio

Quà © es Global Entry para acelerar paso por control migratorio El paso por el control migratorio para ingresar a Estados Unidos puede, en ocasiones, ser especialmente largo pudiendo demorarse por ms de una hora. Esta molestia se puede evitar enrolndose en el programa Entrada Global (Global Entry, en inglà ©s) que, adems, puede utilizarse con el mismo fin en un nà ºmero limitado de otros paà ­ses. En este artà ­culo se informa sobre quià ©nes se pueden enrolar en el programa, cà ³mo se solicita el ingreso, en quà © consiste el trmite de la entrevista, razones de negacià ³n de la solicitud y quà © es la Global Entry Card. Quià ©nes se pueden enrolar en el programa Global Entry No todas las personas pueden solicitar beneficiarse de Global Entry. Es preciso cumplir con una serie de requisitos, el primero de los cuales es el de nacionalidad o situacià ³n migratoria ya que es necesario estar en una de las siguientes categorà ­as: Ser estadounidense o residente permanente legal en los Estados Unidos.O ser ciudadano de Argentina, India, Colombia, Mà ©xico, Panam, Singapore, Holanda, Reino Unido, Suiza, Alemania  y Corea del Sur. Los miembros de Global Entry pueden beneficiarse de paso de control migratorio rpido en esos paà ­ses, adems de en Estados Unidos. Los canadienses y los residentes permanentes legales en Canad no pueden solicitar ingreso a Global Entry. Sin embargo, gozan de beneficios similares a travà ©s del programa NEXUS  (que tambià ©n sirve para cruzar la frontera terrestre). Adems, son requisitos para obtener la aprobacià ³n de la solicitud de enrolamiento en Global Entry no ser un riesgo para la seguridad de los Estados Unidos y  que la la Policà ­a Fronteriza de Estados Unidos (CBP, por sus siglas en inglà ©s) apruebe dicha peticià ³n. Aunque este programa es principalmente utilizado por viajeros que pasan frecuentemente a travà ©s de las fronteras estadounidenses, à ©sta no es una condicià ³n y, de hecho, puede aplicar cualquier persona que cumpla con los requisitos mencionados anteriormente. En el caso de menores de 18 aà ±os, es necesario el consentimiento expreso de los padres o guardianes legales. Cà ³mo solicitar ser miembro del programa Entrada Global La aplicacià ³n debe hacerse por internet en la pgina web del Departamento de Seguridad Interna. Debe crearse una cuenta para este fin. Si solicitan varios miembros de una misma familia, hay que crear una cuenta independiente para cada uno, incluidos los nià ±os. Adems, debe pagarse $100 en concepto de tarifa o arancel. Este dinero no se recupera en el caso de que la solicitud sea denegada. El pago a de hacerse con tarjeta de crà ©dito o mediante transferencia bancaria. Una vez que la CBP recibe la aplicacià ³n, si la aprueba condicionalmente entonces procede a enviar un correo electrà ³nico a la cuenta previamente creada en el programa Entrada Global citando al solicitante para una entrevista que tendr lugar en un centro autorizado, conocido en inglà ©s como enrollment center. Sin embargo, existe tambià ©n la opcià ³n de que una vez que se ha recibido comunicacià ³n de la aprobacià ³n condicional la persona beneficiada opte por lo que se conoce como enrollment on arrival. Esto es, la entrevista tendr lugar una vez que se llega a un aeropuerto a Estados Unidos. La à ºnica condicià ³n es que la llegada tenga lugar a travà ©s de un aeropuerto autorizado para realizar este tipo de gestià ³n. Quà © esperar de la cita en la CBP El solicitante para ser enrolado en Entrada Global deber presentarse a la hora y en el lugar indicado presentando dos formas de identificacià ³n. Los ciudadanos mostrarn sus pasaportes no expirados y los residentes sus tarjetas de residencia. Adems, ser necesario llevar otro I.D. como por ejemplo la licencia de manejar. Al ser entrevistado se tomar una foto y las huellas digitales del solicitante que se cotejarn con las bases de datos disponibles para al gobierno de los Estados Unidos. Por quà © puede ser denegada la peticià ³n Las razones por las que la solicitud para beneficiarse del programa Global Entry puede ser negada son varias, destacando entre ellas, las siguientes: La informacià ³n que se da en la aplicacià ³n es falsa o incompleta. Esto serà ­a un fraude de ley y darà ­a lugar a incontables problemas seriosEl solicitante est siendo investigado por una autoridad americana, federal, estatal o localHa violado en algà ºn momento leyes de inmigracià ³n, aduaneras o de agricultura en cualquier paà ­s. No es admisible para entrar en Estados Unidos en aplicacià ³n de las leyes migratorias (esto aplica sà ³lo a extranjeros, incluidos los residentes permanentes)Ha sido condenado previamente por un delito o est en bà ºsqueda y capturaLa CBP no puede verificar todo o parte del historial laboral, criminal o de residencia del solicitante y, por lo tanto, no se cumplen con el requisito de demostrar que no se es un riesgo bajo para la seguridad de los Estados Unidos Quà © pasa si la solicitud de Global Entry es aprobada A partir de ahà ­, cada vez que ingrese a Estados Unidos en vez de hacer fila y esperar su turno para ser procesado por Inmigracià ³n podr dirigirse directamente al kiosko de Global Entry, pasar el pasaporte y poner sobre la mquina sus dedos para que se le tomen las huellas digitales. Es en este momento cuando se cubre en el kiosko la declaracià ³n de aduanas, tambià ©n conocida como formulario 6059B. Y automticamente se le emitir un recibo con el que ya puede ir a recoger su equipaje y proceder hacia Aduanas, donde se puede ser sometido a inspeccià ³n para controlar si trae algà ºn artà ­culo cuya entrada est prohibida en Estados Unidos. Adems, todos los extranjeros que no son residentes permanentes legales en Estados Unidos deben notificar en persona en un centro de registracià ³n de Global Entry todos los cambios que pueden afectar a sus visas, como por ejemplo, la solicitud de renovacià ³n o de peticià ³n de otro tipo de visa. Si no se hace, puede haber problemas al llegar a Estados Unidos. A pesar de estar enrolado en este programa, es posible que en ocasiones la persona deba pasar controles inmigratorios adicionales. Adems, si abusa de este programa sus privilegios pueden ser cancelados automticamente.   Opciones a Global Entry para acelerar cruce del control migratorio Y por à ºltimo, conviene tener en cuenta que este programa aplica cuando se ingresa en Estados Unidos por aire y a travà ©s de uno de los aeropuertos en los que est en funcionamiento el programa de Entrada Global. Pero hay otros programas de cruce rpido de control migratorio como por ejemplo APC para estadounidenses y para ciudadanos del Programa de Exencià ³n de Visas (chilenos, espaà ±oles) o  SENTRI para paso terrestre o marà ­timo entre Estados Unidos y Mà ©xico y su equivalente Nexus para el paso terrestre entre USA y Canad. Finalmente,  destacar que todas las personas que son miembros de Global Entry pueden participar en el programa TSA Pre que permite acelerar el paso por el  control de seguridad en los aeropuertos  de USA para vuelos domà ©sticos y tambià ©n internacionales con origen en los Estados Unidos. Quà © es la Global Entry Card Es una tarjeta que se puede emitir a los miembros del programa Global Entry y que adems son ciudadanos de los Estados Unidos, residentes permanentes en este paà ­s o ciudadanos mexicanos. Para obtenerla es necesario entrar en el sistema de GOES donde se inicià ³ la aplicacià ³n para el Global Entry y seleccionar la opcià ³n  ¨activate membership card ¨.   La tarjeta contiene un chip con informacià ³n sensible y puede utilizarse para ingresar a Estados Unidos por un puerto marà ­timo o tambià ©n por una frontera terrestre utilizando las lineas designadas para SENTRI en el caso de frontera sur con Mà ©xico o para NEXUS, en el caso de frontera con Canad o para Ready Line, reduciendo asà ­ los tiempos de espera para cruzar. Este es un artà ­culo informativo. No es asesorà ­a legal.

Alexander Hamilton and the National Economy

Alexander Hamilton and the National Economy Alexander Hamilton made a name for himself during the American Revolution, eventually rising to be the untitled Chief of Staff for George Washington during the war. He served as a delegate to the Constitutional Convention from New York and was one of the authors of the Federalist Papers with John Jay and James Madison. Upon taking office as president, Washington decided to make Hamilton the first Secretary of the Treasury in 1789. His efforts in this position were hugely important for the fiscal success of the new nation. Following is a look at the major policies that he helped implement before resigning from the position in 1795. Increasing Public Credit After things had settled from the American Revolution and the intervening years under the Articles of Confederation, the new nation was in debt for more than $50 million. Hamilton believed that it was key for the US to establish legitimacy by paying back this debt as soon as possible. In addition, he was able to get the federal government to agree to the assumption of all the states debts, many of which were also sizable. These actions were able to accomplish many things including a stabilized economy and a willingness of foreign countries to invest capital in the US including the purchase of government bonds while increasing the power of the federal government in relation to the states. Paying for the Assumption of Debts The federal government established bonds at Hamiltons behest. However, this was not enough to pay off the huge debts that had accrued during the Revolutionary War, so Hamilton asked Congress to levy an excise tax on liquor. Western and southern congressmen opposed this tax because it affected the livelihood of farmers in their states. Northern and southern interests in Congress compromised agreeing to make the southern city of Washington, D.C. into the nations capital in exchange for levying the excise tax. It is noteworthy that even at this early date in the nations history there was much economic friction between northern and southern states. Creation of the US Mint and National Bank Under the Articles of Confederation, each state had their own mint. However, with the US Constitution, it was obvious that the country needed to have a federal form of money. The US Mint was established with the Coinage Act of 1792 which also regulated the coinage of the United States. Hamilton realized the necessity of having a safe place for the government to store their funds while increasing the ties between the wealthy citizens and the US Government. Therefore, he argued for the creation of the Bank of the United States. However, the US Constitution did not specifically provide for the creation of such an institution. Some argued that it was beyond the scope of what the federal government could do. Hamilton, however, argued that the Elastic Clause of the Constitution gave the Congress the latitude to create such a bank because in his argument it was, in fact, necessary and proper for the creation of a stable federal government. Thomas Jefferson argued against its creation as being unconstitutional despite the Elastic Clause. However, President Washington agreed with Hamilton and the bank was created. Alexander Hamiltons Views on the Federal Government As can be seen, Hamilton viewed it as supremely important that the federal government establish supremacy, especially in the area of the economy. He hoped that the government would encourage the growth of industry in a move away from agriculture so that the nation could be an industrial economy equal to those of Europe. He argued for items such as tariffs on foreign goods along with money to help individuals found new businesses so as to grow the native economy. In the end, his vision came to fruition as America became a key player in the world over the course of time.

MGM625-0903A-01 Applied Finance for Decision-Making - Phase 3 Essay - 1

MGM625-0903A-01 Applied Finance for Decision-Making - Phase 3 Discussion Board 2 - Essay Example It has been noted that in most cases the debt carries costs which are much lower (Morgan, Redman Smith and Cooper, 2001). The main reasons behind this include, the ownership of the equity holders is not diluted, and higher rates of interest needed due to the higher levels of risk taken, and also the interest paid on the debts do qualify as business expenses. In theory it is good to use debt as a financing source for businesses. This is mainly because of the fact that the interest paid is generally tax deductible and it can be included as business expenses unlike the cost of equity. This ratio reveals the solvency and the capital structure of the company. It is used as an indicator for the leveraging in terms of the debt and also provides for a better understanding of the amount owned and the amount owed. This gives a view of the amount the company can use for borrowing. There are also a few benefits of debt which include the tax benefits, and also inclusion of higher levels of discipline to the management. However, considering the cost of debt, it is seen that it includes, loss of future flexibility cost, agency cost and bankruptcy costs that can be levied on the companies (Samuels, Wilkes and Brayshaw, 2000). The normal reaction would involve an increase in the Long term debts, which would also lead to an increase in the cash on the assets side of the book. This would in turn have a strong affect on the above mentioned ratios. Also the changes might not be appreciated by the creditors. Also the company might also face issues in terms of receiving loans from the banks as well. Use of higher levels of debt financing when compared to the equity financing means the company would have higher financial leverage. It is noted that the interest payments to debtors is normally tax deductible unlike the dividend which is payable to the shareholders. Thus if the company has higher levels of debt

U.S.Involvement in the Vietnam War and the Effects Today Essay

U.S.Involvement in the Vietnam War and the Effects Today - Essay Example U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War got initial support from the Vietnam government, but later, the government opposed the involvement of United States in the war. Demonstrations opposing the United States involvement in the Vietnam War began in 1964 up to 1970. When John F Kennedy appeared in office, for his first year, he drafted a plan, which clearly depicted the chief objective of U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War. The main objective of the involvement was to prevent domination of communists in South Vietnam; in order to create a viable, democratic society (Hall 8). The United States aimed at achieving this objective through military, economic, and political support. The United States also wanted to spread their capitalist ideologies. There were different reasons for opposing the U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War. One of the reasons was opposition to the draft. The draft threatened low and middle class registrants (Hall 12). Those opposing the draft argued that the draft did not represent them fairly. Apart from the opposition of the draft, protestors made moral influence against U.S. involvement in Vietnam War. The moral argument was mostly opinions of American college students. The students opposed the U.S. involvement and termed it as immoral due to the number of civilian deaths, encountered in the war. Another opposing element against U.S. involvement was that the threat of communism by the United States was not legally justifiable. The U.S. withdrew its military in August 1973. In the Vietnam War, I learnt that, involvement of the United States in the war was opposed by the Vietnam government and some Americans. The chief reason for opposing the U.S. involvement in the war was due to the effects that the war left (Kissinger 32). There was immense loss of life; involving American troops, Vietnam soldiers and Vietnam civilians. This led to a high number of casualties. It is estimated that 58,148 were killed in Vietnam; 75,000 disabled

Sovereign State Essay Example for Free

Sovereign State Essay Evolution of role and meaning of government as social-political institution in common and government sovereignty in particular is one of the most actual topics for discussions nowadays. Fundamental processes in spheres of politics and economics change radically usual positions for role of state and meaning of its formal attribute government sovereignty. It is connected with the fact that in the modern world governments to a greater extent are forced to renounce by part of their prerogatives, being limited in taking political decisions. Studying of processes of â€Å"degradation† and â€Å"devaluation† of status of sovereign government and weakening of centralized institutions of governmental power is actually singled out into independent direction of political science. In this work we’ll examine the principles of sovereign state and will try to understand, can the sovereign state be effective way of organizing its political life. Definition of sovereign state and its main features. Let’s examine what is sovereign state and what are its main features. Sovereign state is politically independent government, which is independent in its internal and external affairs (the word â€Å"sovereign† is from French word â€Å"souverain† – the highest, supreme) – it is politically sovereign state, sovereign object of international rights and international relations. Governmental sovereignty means leadership of the state within the limits of its own borders. It doesn’t allow foreign intervention in its affairs. What are main features of sovereign state? They are as follows: Independence; Free execution of the whole completeness of power at the territory of the country; Integrity and inalienability of territory; Unanimity of territories of the country. Nowadays we can determine the following meanings of sovereignty: Sovereignty of interdependency – ability of government to control movement via their borders; Internal sovereignty – internal delegations of governmental structures and ability to influence effectively on behavior of population; This possibility of government to a great extend depends on loyalty of its citizens. So, in 1999 in the USA 73% of population examined themselves as â€Å"citizens of the world† simultaneously with recognition of US citizenship (http://www.vox-populi.org/digest/america_role2.html#4) West-Fal sovereignty or Wattle’s sovereignty – exception of external sources of power de jure and de facto International legal sovereignty is connected with mutual acknowledgement of governments. (Stephen D.Krasner, P.231-233.) Principle of sovereignty. Speaking about the reasons of re-examination of sovereign principles, we have to focus our attention to complex of processes, which is traditionally noted as â€Å"globalization† (James Rosenau, P.7-8.). In the basis of globalization phenomena lay processes in spheres of finance and economics, which serve as a basis for global political and cultural â€Å"superstructure†. It gives us grounds to consider that practically any sphere of human activity will avoid definite transformation. During those processes â€Å"attack† of government sovereignty principle is made by several directions, and existing concept of governmental sovereignty casts doubt in relation of practically all its main components (Youngs, G, P.71-72.). Modern world economics demonstrates more and more qualities of united system and functions in accordance with unified rules. No other country can exist in conditions of economical self-sufficiency. Leading type of economical practice becomes financial-legal regulation, which consequently subjugates other kinds of economic activities. New concept of geo-economics is determined to reflect the new level of economical development and economical integration. Demands of economical developments contradict with principle of firmness of state sovereignty to that extent in which governmental borders impede economical effectiveness and in common, to social progress. Governmental borders now experience pressure more from inside, than from outside. Separatism became serious problem in different parts of the world. (Joseph A.Camilleri and Jim FalTk, P.24-25.). Being subordinated to dictate of economical expediency, governments open their borders and are exposed to inroad of foreign currency, international terrorists, drugs, flows of information from other countries, sects, societies, etc. All this inevitably decreases effectiveness of functioning of governmental body and forces to find new ways and forms of decision everyday problems. Living picture of global market are transnational corporations, which have their aim to receive profit. Such actions cause misbalances in the modern society (Manuel Castells P.162.). In accordance with researches, they control approximately half of world industrial manufacture and even more in spheres of foreign trade. Constricting sphere of activity of national governments, global market undermines basis of state sovereignty. Global forces (economical, technological and cultural) force governments to re-examine meaning of sovereignty. (Muthiah Alagappa and Takashi Inoguchi (Eds.). P.21) Problems of environment are also assisting in that undermining. (Luc Sindjoun P.222.) The government also looses the meaning of guaranty of preservation of democratic foundations in society. Rules of free market take place, not the rules of national parliaments. Vitally important decisions for the whole country and all its citizens are taken by people, who are actually unknown and who weren’t chosen by way of public procedures of democratic elections and who are often guided by their own interests, but not by interests of other people. The main consequences of globalization processes But from the point of view of problems in state sovereignty, the main consequence of globalization processes is contradiction between increasing economical and political interdependency of countries and nations from one side and reservation of right to decide independently and by its own choice (from the side of government) its own problems – from the other side. Thanks to progressive â€Å"washing out† of borders between national economies, problems which before were considered as definitely belonging to foreign policy, more and more receive internationally-political character. U.N.O. also â€Å"washed out† concepts of state sovereignty and changed opinions for relations between government and their citizens. (D.M.Malone, P.21.) Actions of government of one state can entail serious consequences at the other part of the Earth. In those conditions we can see evident necessity to correspond important decisions, and, therefore, to create corresponding political mechanisms. And, to tell the truth, process of creation of such mechanisms is going quite intensively. If in 1909 there were 37 inter-governmental international organizations, at the end of the century there were already 260 such organizations. Such organizations as EU and other, taking some definite functions, which are delegated to them by separate states, factually limit their state sovereignty. For example, governments – members of European Union – give part of their sovereign right to above-national organs of management. If before it was related only to economical questions, now it relates also to financial-currency questions (for example, it is lead-in of Euro in countries of Euro-zone), in perspective it will touch questions of foreign policy and defense. Although they say that above-national organs of management act strictly in accordance with mandate (its limits are determined by sovereign states, which realize common interests), it is evident that increasing of such practice means â€Å"washing out† of limit between internal policy and foreign policy, where it becomes more and more difficult to tell, what relates to the first and what – to the second. Speaking at annual international forum in Dawos about foreign policy in XXI century, German president proposed to finish with â€Å"anarchy† of politics of national interests and to pass to â€Å"globalized foreign policy as internal world policy†. By other words, he proposed to governments to refuse from their national interests in favor of global foreign policy. Limited character of sovereignty. Taking into consideration all aforesaid, sovereignty is â€Å"weak evolutionally stable strategy, which is chosen by plenty of actors† and which can co-exist with forms, which Krasner called â€Å"neutral mutants† (alternative strategies, which attract definite actors in definite moments) (Stephen D.Krasner, P.231.) Being one of the forms of jurisdiction organization, sovereign national governments always collided with competition from the side of other kinds of jurisdictions. There are jurisdictions, which don’t recognize territorial limitations of their power – such jurisdictions we can conditionally call â€Å"empires†. The most famous example of such institution is USA, which during the last years in an explicit form refused from support of principle of state sovereignty (Anna Leander COPRI, 2.). The main principle of foreign policy, which negates state sovereignty, is doctrine of â€Å"preventive stroke†. G. Bush said that if we’ll wait for the moment when threats will materialize, we have to wait too long. We have to start struggle with our enemy, to destroy his plans – our safety needs that all Americans should be decisive and farsighted, when it will be necessary to defend our lives. (http://www.ndu.edu/inss/strforum/SF200/sf200.htm) Another factor, which determined re-evaluation of state sovereignty principle, became creation of numerous non-governmental associations and organizations, their activity, directed at realization of their own corporate interests, increased spectrum of actual political problems and intensified their dynamics. Appearance of those new forms, probably took place, because civil society don’t see in government the main and irreplaceable instrument of realization of their demands. As a result, procedure of taking decisions by government regarding different problems of foreign and internal policies is more often is guided by coordination of their positions with non-government public organizations and transnational corporations. If we were able to examine the nation or the state in world political space as the one subject, which was outlined only from outside, and what was going inside, wasn’t’ important significally, now more and more often people speak that modern society is society of pluralism interests, which one cannot reduce to a common denominator (Manuel Castells, P.303.). If before we were able to examine government as one-piece formation – a kind of big figure at chess-desk; now we need to make a lot of stipulations. Decrease of role and meaning of government comes as result because civil loyalty is being weakened. For example, in Germany considerable number of young people consider themselves Europeans first of all, and only than – Germans, but not vice versa. Another important factor, which undermines corner stone of state sovereignty – is a principle of non-intervention into internal affairs of sovereign state – and is connected with dissemination and consolidation of universal ideology of human rights. Ways of influence for such countries and regimes, which have world society, first of all, are very limited, and second-of-all, are non-effective – such principle of â€Å"non-intervention into internal affairs† bothers a lot. But what scholars write about state sovereignty? One of them writes: Nowadays the problem of sovereignty is, for social scientists, a dead duck. (Fowler and Bunck 2). There are also debates of sovereign immunity – and its criticism is not new. Even   President Abraham Lincoln declared: It is as much the duty of Government to render prompt justice against itself in favor of citizens as it is to administer the same between private individuals.† (Chemerinsky 1201) All these factors are very important tendencies in the modern society. Taking into consideration all examined factors, we can make conclusion that state sovereignty cannot be really effective instrument to provide effective political life for sovereign country. My opinion is that principle of state sovereignty in modern conditions is ineffective. Works Cited: Stephen D.Krasner. â€Å"Abiding Sovereignty† in International Political Science Review. Vol. 22, No.3, 2001, P.231-233. M.Malone. The Security Council in the 1990s. in Ramesh Thakur and Edward Newman (Eds.) New Millennium, New Perspectives: The UN, Security, and Governance. UN University Press, 2000, P.21. Luc Sindjoun. â€Å"Transformation of International Relations Between Change and Continuity: Introduction† in International Political Science Review. Vol. 22, No.3, 2001, P.222. Stephen D.Krasner. â€Å"Abiding Sovereignty† in International Political Science Review. Vol. 22, No.3, 2001, P.231. http://www.vox-populi.org/digest/america_role2.html#4 http://www.ndu.edu/inss/strforum/SF200/sf200.htm Law, Power, and the Sovereign State: The Evolution and Application of the Concept of Sovereignty Book by Julie Marie Bunck, Michael Ross Fowler; The Pennsylvania State University Press, 1995 Against Sovereign Immunity (Journal article by Erwin Chemerinsky); Stanford Law Review, Vol. 53, 2001 Joseph A.Camilleri and Jim FalTk. The End of Sovereignty? Great Britain: Edvard Elgar, 1992, P.24-25. Muthiah Alagappa and Takashi Inoguchi (Eds.). International Security Management and the UN. United Nations University Press, 1999, P.21 Manuel Castells. End of Millennium. Blackwell Publishers, 1998, P.162. Anna Leander. Globalisation and the Eroding State Monopoly of Legitimate Violence. COPRI, 2. Manuel Castells. The Power of Identity. Blackwell Publishers, 1998, P.303. Youngs, G. International Relations in a Global Age. Cambridge: Polity Press, 1999, P.71-72. James Rosenau. â€Å"Governance in the Twenty-First Century† in The New Political Economy of Globalization., Vol. 2., P.7-8.

George Orwell :: essays research papers

George Orwell was born Eric Arthur Blair on June 25, 1903 in Motihari in India, which was at that time part of the British Empire. His family was not very wealthy and like most middle-class English families of that time, their livelihood depended on the Empire. In 1907, his family returned to England. His parents managed to send him to a private school in Sussex and when he was thirteen, he won a scholarship to Wellington. Soon after that, he won another scholarship to the well-known public school, Eaton. After being forced to work very hard at preparatory school, Blair lost interest in any further intellectual exertion that was not related to his personal ambition. In his book Why I Write he says that from a very young age he had known that he must be a writer. But, he also realized that in order to become a writer, he had to read literature. However, in Eaton, English literature was not a major subject and he spent his five years reading works by the masters of English prose includ ing Jonathon Swift, Laurence Sterne and Jack London on his own. He failed to win a university scholarship after the final examinations at Eaton and, in 1922, he joined the Indian Imperial Police. This decision was not the usual path that most Eaton students would have taken. Blair preferred a life of travel and action and he served in the force in Burma (now known as Myanmar) for five years. He resigned from the police force for two main reasons: firstly, being a police officer was a diversion from his real ambition of being a writer; and secondly, he felt that as a policeman in Burma, he was supporting a political system in which he could no longer believe. Even at this time, his political ideas and his ideas about writing were closely related. In his book The Road To Wigan Pier he wrote that he wished to "escape from†¦ every form of man's dominion over man", and he felt that the social structure of British Imperialism was that "dominion" over the English working class. After he returned to London at the age of twenty-four, he began to teach himself how to write. He spent most of his time writing in very poor living conditions because he felt that the poor in London and Paris represented the people of Burma under British rule.

Arabic Literature

Arabic literature Main article:  Arabic literature Main article:  Literature of Morocco Ibn Tufail  (Abubacer) and  Ibn al-Nafis  were pioneers of the  philosophical novel. Ibn Tufail wrote the first fictional Arabic  novel  Hayy ibn Yaqdhan  (Philosophus Autodidactus) as a response to  al-Ghazali's  The Incoherence of the Philosophers, and then Ibn al-Nafis also wrote a novel  Theologus Autodidactus  as a response to Ibn Tufail's  Philosophus Autodidactus.Both of these narratives had  protagonists(Hayy in  Philosophus Autodidactus  and Kamil in  Theologus Autodidactus) who were  autodidactic  feral children  living in seclusion on adesert island, both being the earliest examples of a desert island story. However, while Hayy lives alone with animals on the desert island for the rest of the story in  Philosophus Autodidactus, the story of Kamil extends beyond the desert island setting in  Theologus Autodidactus, developing into the earlies t known  coming of age  plot and eventually becoming the first example of a  science fictionnovel. 17][18] Theologus Autodidactus, written by the  Arabian  polymath  Ibn al-Nafis  (1213–1288), is the first example of a science fiction novel. It deals with various science fiction elements such as  spontaneous generation,  futurology, the  end of the world and doomsday,resurrection, and the  afterlife. Rather than giving supernatural or mythological explanations for these events, Ibn al-Nafis attempted to explain these plot elements using the  scientific knowledge  of  biology,  astronomy,  cosmology  and  geology  known in his time.His main purpose behind this science fiction work was to explain  Islamic  religious teachings in terms of  science  and  philosophy  through the use of fiction. [19] A  Latin  translation of Ibn Tufail's work,  Philosophus Autodidactus, first appeared in 1671, prepared by  Edward Pococke   the Younger, followed by an English translation by  Simon Ockley  in 1708, as well as  German  and  Dutch  translations. These translations later inspired  Daniel Defoe  to write  Robinson Crusoe, regarded as the  first novel in English. 20][21][22][23]  Philosophus Autodidactus  also inspired  Robert Boyle  to write his own philosophical novel set on an island,  The Aspiring Naturalist. [24]  The story also anticipatedRousseau's  Emile: or, On Education  in some ways, and is also similar to  Mowgli's story in  Rudyard Kipling's  The Jungle Book  as well as  Tarzan's story, in that a baby is abandoned but taken care of and fed by a mother  wolf. [citation needed] Among other innovations in Arabic literature was  Ibn Khaldun's perspective on chronicling past events—by fully rejecting supernatural explanations, Khaldun essentially invented the scientific or sociological approach to history. citation needed] Islam [100 A. D. to 1 500] 1. God's revelations were first received around 610 by the prophet Muhammad, whose followers later collected them into the Koran, which became the basis for a new religion and community known today as Islam. 2. Though most of the pre-Islamic literature of Arabia was written in verse, prose became a popular vehicle for the dissemination of religious learning. 3. As its title â€Å"the Recitation† suggests, the Koran was made to be heard and recited; because it is literally the word of God, Muslims do not accept the Koran in translation from Arabic. . Although Persian literature borrowed from Arabic literary styles, it also created and enhanced new poetic styles, including the  ruba'i  (quatrain),  ghazal  (erotic lyric), and  masnavi  (narrative poem). 5. More widely known than any other work in Arabic, the  Thousand and One Nights  is generally excluded from the canon of classical Arabic literature due to its extravagant and improbable fabrications in pro se, a form that was expected to be more serious and substantial than verse. Thousand and One Nights Myths and Legends of the World |  2001 |  Copyright Thousand and One NightsThousand and One Nights,  also called  The Arabian Nights' Entertainment  or simply  The Arabian Nights,  is a sprawling, centuries-old collection of tales. In the English-speaking world, it is the best-known work of Arabic stories. The framework of the collection is that a king named Shahriyar, distrustful of women, had the habit of taking a new wife every night and killing her the next day. A resourceful young woman named Shahrazad had a plan to end the deadly tradition. After marrying the king, she told him a story on their wedding night with the promise to finish it the next day. He let her live, and she repeated the trick.So captivating were her stories that Shahriyar spared her life again and again in order to hear the rest of the narrative. The origins of  Thousand and One Nights  are u nknown. The oldest bit of Arabic text dates from the 800s; the first lengthy text was written in the 1400s. None of the early Arabic-language texts contains exactly the same stories. Scholars have identified Persian, Baghdadian, and Egyptian elements in the work, which seems to have developed over the years as an ever-changing collection of fairy tales, romances, fables, poems, legends about heroes, and humorous stories.The stories that are best known in the English-speaking world—those of Sinbad the Sailor, Aladdin and his Magic Lamp, and Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves—do not appear in all editions of  Thousand and One Nights. Thousand and One Nights The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed. |  2012 |  Copyright Thousand and One Nights or Arabian Nights, series of anonymous stories in Arabic, considered as an entity to be among the classics of world literature. The cohesive plot device concerns the efforts of Scheherezade, or Sheherazade, to keep her husband, King Shah ryar (or Schriyar), from killing her by entertaining him with a tale a night for 1,001 nights.The best known of these stories are those of Ali Baba, Sinbad the Sailor, and Aladdin. Although many of the stories are set in India, their origins are unknown and have been the subject of intensive scholarly investigation. The corpus began to be collected about the year 1000. At first the title was merely indicative of a large number of stories; later editors dutifully provided editions with the requisite 1,001 tales. The present form of  Thousand and One Nights  is thought to be native to Persia or one of the Arabic-speaking countries, but includes stories from a number of different countries and no doubt reflects diverse source material.The first European edition was a free translation by Abbe Antoine Galland into French (1704–17). Most subsequent French, German, and English versions lean heavily upon Galland. Among the English translations include the expurgated edition of E. W. Lane (1840), with excellent and copious notes; the unexpurgated edition by Sir Richard Burton in 16 volumes (1885–88); that of John Payne in 9 volumes (1882–84); Powys Mathers's translation from the French text of J. C. Mardrus (rev. ed. , 4 vol. , 1937); and that of Husain Haddawy (2 vol. , 1990, 1995).Note: This file is also available as a  Word document. Acknowledgements: Al-Muntazir Madrasah, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. IMPORTANCE OF THE HOLY QUR’AAN The first lesson to be learned by all students is about the importance of the Holy Qur’aan. The Qur’aan is the Book of Allah  subhaanahu wa ta‘aalaa. Every word in the Qur’aan has come from Allah. That is why we say that it is a Holy Book. The words in the Qur’aan were sent by Allah to Prophet Muhammad  sallal-laahu ‘alayhi wa-aalihi wa sallam. The Prophet (s) received the words of Allah through angel Jibra’eel.This Qur’aan is a Holy Book t hat was not written by anyone but sent by Allah to Prophet Muhammad (s) through Jibra’eel. 1. It is the most truthful speech: Prophet Muhammad (s) regularly read the words of Allah to Muslims around him. These Muslims were very pleased and excited to receive the words of Allah. Prophet Muhammad (s) said:  The most truthful speech, the most eloquent advice, and the greatest stories are in the Book of Allah. The Muslims listened carefully to what the Prophet read, memorized the sentences and passages of the Qur’aan, recited them regularly and followed the teachings of the Qur’aan.In order to preserve the words of Allah the Prophet appointed special people known as â€Å"Scribes of the Qur’aan† to write down the words of Allah. 2. It is in original language: Prophet Muhammad (s) was an Arab and the majority of people in Mecca and Medina spoke Arabic. Therefore the Qur’aan was sent in Arabic. Arabic is written from right to left. It is better to learn to read the Qur’aan in its original language. Therefore, we will put efforts to learn Qur’aan written in Arabic instead of simply reading its translation in other languages. . The Holy Qur’aan contains Allah’s message to all people. It tells people how to act correctly. It guides us to a correct way of life in this world. The Book of Allah also talks about life after death. It tells us that Allah has prepared Paradise for good people and Hell for bad people. The Qur’aan encourages the worship of only one God Who creates and provides for them. The Book forbids people from evil and condemns those who do wrong. It contains stories of the past Prophets and the examples of bad and good people.People are advised in the Qur’aan to be good to others and respect them. It teaches people to live in peace and harmony. 4. Qur’aan brings happiness in this world and the Hereafter. Following the Qur’aan brings happiness in this world and the world after death. The Prophet (s) said:If you desire the life of the fortunate, the death of a martyr, the salvation on the Day of Regret and the shade on the Day of Extreme Heat, then you should study the Qur’aan because it is the word of the Merciful, a sanctuary from Shaytaan and a causes the tilting of the Balance.In another Hadith we read that the Prophet (s) has said:  The recitor of the Qur’an will be spared from the calamities of the Hereafter. 5. It is the only Divine book that has remained unchanged. Allah sent the Qur’aan to His Prophet. A book sent by Allah to people is known as a Divine Book or a Heavenly Book. Other Divine Books were also sent to previous prophets. These are: Suhoof to Prophet Ibraheem  Ã¢â‚¬Ëœalayhis salaam; Zaboor to Prophet Dawood  Ã¢â‚¬Ëœalayhis salaam;  Tawraah to Prophet Moosaa  Ã¢â‚¬Ëœalayhis salaam; and  Injeel to Prophet ‘Eisaa  Ã¢â‚¬Ëœalayhis salaam.The difference between the Qur’aan an d past revealed books is that the Qur’aan is the only Divine Book that has remained unaltered. The Qur’aan we have with us contains exactly the same message that was sent to Prophet Muhammad by Allah through Jibra’eel. 6. Our supplications get answered  if we were to pray after reading the Holy Qur’aan. The Prophet (s) said:  One who starts the Qur’an and finishes it, Allah will grant him one answered supplication. It also helps in strengthening our faith. Imam Ali (a) said:  Ã‚  Reciting the Qur’an plants the eed of faith. 7. The Qur’aan is the best companion. It can be of great help when a child or adult is feeling lonely. Imam Ali Zaynul ‘Aabideen (a) said:  If all who live between the East and West perish, I will have no fear as long as I have the Qur’an with me. 8. Students get wise  when they start reading the Qur’aan in their childhood. Prophet Muhammad (s) said:  Whoever reads the Qur’an before becoming Baaligh, has indeed been given wisdom as a child. The Holy Book is the best intellectual treasure a student can have.Prophet Muhammad (s) said:  The Qur’an is a wealth with which there is no poverty, and without which there is no wealth. On the other hand not caring to read and study the Qur’aan is a great loss. Prophet Muhammad (s) said:  Surely the person in whose heart lacks the trace of the Qur’an is like a ruined house. 9. Muslims read the Qur’aan to understand the true teachings of Islam. Prophet Muhammad (s) left the Holy Book and the Ahlul Bayt (a) as the most important legacy for Muslims after him. He said:  I leave tow weighty things among you: The Book of Allah and my family – the Ahlul Bayt.Indeed these two will never separate until they reach me near the pool of Kawthar. 10. All Muslims recite some Soorahs in their prayers. However, it is good to memorize more Soorahs and read them in Salaat. Imam Muhammad Al-Baaq ir (a) said:  Whoever recites the Qur’aan while standing in his prayer, Allah will bestow on him a hundred blessings for every letter; and whoever recites it while sitting in his prayer, Allah will reward him fifty blessings for every letter; and whoever recites it outside of his prayer, Allah will grant him ten blessings for every letter. 1. The Qur’aan is a cure to mental and spiritual diseases: Imam Hasan al-‘Askaree (a) said:  The Messenger of Allah (s) said: I advice you to the Qur’aan since it is the beneficial cure, the blessed medicine, the protection (‘Isma) for he who holds fast to it, and the salvation for he who follows it. Neither does it cause crookedness so that it departs (from the truth) nor does it deviate so that it causes trouble. Its marvels do not come to end and the vastness of refutations does not wear it. RESPECT AND RIGHTS OF THE HOLY QUR’AANNow that we know that the Holy Qur’aan is not an ordinary book, bu t a Divine Book sent by Allah for the guidance of all people, we must show respect to it. Here are some of the points we need to remember. 1. A part of the Qur’aan carries the same respect as the entire Qur’aan. Allah says:  When the Qur’aan is recited, listen to  it (7:204). We know that when recitation takes place it is always of a part of the Qur’aan. Even then Allah uses the word Qur’aan for the part that is being recited. Therefore, if you have a Siparah, a binder or a booklet that contains Soorahs and passages from the Qur’aan, you treat it like a Qur’aan. . The Qur’aan should always be carried with proper care. When your Madrasah bag contains the Qur’aan, or a part of it, take extra care of the bag. Keep the bag slowly on the desk or floor instead of letting it fall on its own. Use both hands to remove the Qur’aan from your bag, kiss the cover of the Qur’aan, place it slowly on a desk (or on a wo oden carrier specially built for holding the Qur’aan) and open the pages gently. 3. When the Qur’aan is being recited, listen to it and be attentive (7:204). If you are busy with something else then at least do not disturb the recitation by talking, for example, or making noise.There is reward for listening to the Qur’aan. Imam Ali Zaynul ‘Aabideen (a) said:  Whoever listens to a letter of the book of Allah, the Glorious and Almighty, without even reading it, Allah will write down for him one good deed, forgive a sin, and raise him a degree. It was the practice of unbelievers in Mecca to make a lot of noise so that others could not listen to the Qur’aan (41:26). Do not be like them and instead lend your ears to the Qur’aan and give it respect. We often wish that God would talk to us. One way to achieve this is by reading the Qur’aan. Prophet Muhammad (s): said:  Lo!Whoever has longing for Allah should listen to the word of Allah! A lso, if you wish to talk to God then do Tilaawa. Prophet Muhammad (s) said:  Whenever one of you would like to talk to his Lord, he should read the Qur’an. 4. The Qur’aan should be recited regularly. It is disrespect to keep the Holy Qur’aan unread. Prophet Muhammad (s) said:  Brighten your homes with reciting Qur’aan; do not turn them into graves. Surely the house in which a lot of recitation takes place enjoys many blessings and the members benefit from it. Such a household shines for the inhabitants of Heaven as stars shine to the inhabitants of the earth.On the Day of Judgment the Prophet will complain to Allah about some Muslims who had abandoned the Qur’aan (25:30). Another Hadith of the Prophet (s) says:  Indeed hearts rust in the same way irons rust. He was asked: â€Å"What will polish the hearts? † The Prophet answered:  Reading the Qur’an. The more Qur’aan we read the better it is. We should discipline oursel ves to read a good portion of Qur’aan daily. Imam Ali (a) said:  He who recites 100 verses daily from the Book in the order it is in, Allah writes for him the reward equal to all the good actions of every one on this earth.Shaytaan would like us not to read, understand and study the Qur’aan. Let us fight him with all our strength and faith. Imam Ja‘far As-Saadiq (a) said:  Ã‚  There is nothing more unpleasant to Shaytaan than to see a man reading the Qur’an to gain insight. 5. Children should get familiarized with the Qur’aan early in their lives. Imam as-Saadiq (AS) said:  He who recites Qur’aan while he is young, Qur’aan mixes with his flesh and his blood, and Allah places him amongst the blessed and the chosen righteous. On the Day of Judgment, Qur’aan shall become his defender and  [pray for him a handsome reward. 6. It is the right and respect of the Qur’aan that it should be followed. Imam Ja‘far Saadi q (a) said:  Ã‚  Lo! One, who learns the Qur’aan, teaches it and practices according to it, I will guide and lead him to Paradise. 7. It is also the right and respect of the Qur’aan that those who have the knowledge of the Qur’aan should teach it to others. This is among the noblest acts. Prophet Muhammad (s) said:  The best of you is he who learns the Qur’an and teaches it. 8. Take the interpretations of the Qur’aan from the Holy Prophet (s) and the Imams from his family, i. e. the Ahlul Bayt (a).Imam Hasan al-‘Askaree quoting Prophet Muhammad said:  Recite it (i. e. the Qur’aan) as Allah gives you ten rewards for each letter that you recite from it. Then the Imam (a) said:  Do you know who really holds fast to it and reaches to such honor and reward? He is the person who takes Qur’aan and its interpretation from us Ahlul-Bayt (a) or from the deputies that we send to our followers, and takes its (interpretation) neither from the opinions of those who argue (on the speech of Allah) nor form the analogy  of  those who compare (different parts of the speech of Allah). . Once you have completed reading your lesson or referring to the Qur’aan then close it gently instead of leaving it open. 2. Do not put another book or any weight above the Qur’aan. The Holy Book should always be kept on the top in a pile of books. 3. It is Haraam (forbidden) to make Najaasaat (impure things like blood and urine) touch the Qur’aan. In the event where the Qur’aan becomes Najis, for instance if it falls in Najis water, it is Waajib (obligatory) to purify it (make it Taahir). 4. Old and worn out copies of the Qur’aan should be disposed in safe places.This includes sending them for recycling, burying them in the earth or casting in rivers. *  Ã‚  *  Ã‚  *  Ã‚  * * MANNERS OF RECITING THE HOLY QUR’AAN By now we know that the Qur’aan is a special book and deserves re spect. Now let us look at some of the manners of reciting the Qur’aan. It is the right of the Tilaawa (recitation of the Qur’aan) that we follow the rules when reciting the Qur’aan. 1. Perform Wudhoo before you prepare to read the Qur’aan. Allah says:  None can touch it (the Qur’aan) save the purified ones  (56:79). Once Imam Ja‘far As-Saadiq (a) asked his son Ismaa‘eel to read the Qur’aan. The latter said that he was not in Wudhoo.The Imam said in that case he could recite it but should not touch the writings of the Qur’aan. Therefore, it is advisable to  use a stick or pen to point to the words  or sentences of the Qur’aan you are reading if you are not in Wudhoo. 2. Read Du‘aa before Tilaawa. Reading of the Du‘aa helps to keep our focus and reminds us of what we need to take from the Holy Book. Ma‘soomeen (a) have recommended a number of Du‘aas. The Du‘aa taught by Imam Jaâ⠂¬Ëœfar As-Saadiq (a) appears in this booklet with Qur’aan lessons. 3. Always say  A‘oodhubillaahi minash shaytaanir rajeem  ( ) when you begin reading the Qur’aan. It means: I seek refuge in Allah from the cursed Shaytaan. This is what Allah instructs us to do in Aayah 16:98. 4. Next say  Bismillaahir rahmaanir raheem  ( )  The meaning of this phrase is: In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful. Whenever Imam Moosaa Al-Kaazim (a) wished to make a point to Haroon Rasheed using Aayaat from the Qur’aan, the Imam would begin with  A‘oodhubillaah . . . followed by  Bismillaah . . . 5. Sit facing Qiblaah when reciting the Qur’aan. Please note that this is the best direction to face.However where it may be difficult or impossible to face Qiblaah when reading the Qur’aan (for example if your desk is facing another direction) then it is all right not to face the Qiblaah. 6. Recite the Qur’aan with Tarteel  as instructed by Allah in Aayah 73:4. This means that we should recite the Qur’aan in a good voice with rhythm instead of plain reading. 7. Recite the Qur’aan slowly  Allah said to the Prophet  do not move your tongue with it (Qur’aan) to make haste therein  (75:16). The aayaat of the Qur’aan should be recited in slow tones with each word being pronounced clearly.The Prophet (s) advised Muslims not be concerned about finishing a Soorah when reciting the Qur’aan. 8. Be Humble when reciting the Qur’aan. The Prophet (s) says that the best recitor is he who is humble when reciting the Qur’aan and realizes his own insignificance. Some people exhibit their insignificance and the awe of talking to Allah through weeping. This is a good sign. Prophet Muhammad (s) said:Eyes that weep when reciting the Qur’an will be shining with delight on the Day of Resurrection. 9. Try to understand the recitation. Holy Qur’aan is a book of Guidance (2:2).It is necessary for us to understand the message Allah sent all people through Prophet Muhammad (s). 10. Read from the Qur’aan by looking at the writings instead of reciting from your memory. In a Hadith from one of our Imams it is said that mere looking at the writings of the Qur’aan carries reward. 11. Interact with the Qur’aan. Imam Ja‘far As-Saadiq (a) says that it is important to react to the aayaat of the Qur’aan when reciting it. When we come across aayaat on Paradise, Mercy and Grace of Allah, Good Outcome in the hereafter, we should hope for these in our hearts.On the other hand if we are reading aayaat that warn us about the punishment, fire, Hell, etc. we should pray to be saved from these. 12. Open your heart and mind to the Qur’aan and ponder over what you read. Allah often invites us to think and ponder over the contents of the Qur’aan. In 47:24 Allah says:  Do they not then think deeply in the Qurâ⠂¬â„¢aan, or are their hearts locked up? 13. Perform Sajdah where required to do so  In the entire Qur’aan there are 15 places where performing of Sajdah is required. At 4 places it is Waajib (obligatory) to do Sajdah if we were to read or listen to these sections of the Qur’aan.For the rest of the places it is Mustahab (recommended) to do Sajdah. 14. Say  Sadqallaahul ‘Aliyyul ‘Azeem  ( ) every time you end a recitation of the Qur’aan. The meaning of this phrase is: Allah, the Sublime, the Great, is truthful in what He has said 15. Read one of the Du‘aas after Tilaawa. The Ma‘soomeen have taught a number of Du‘aas, from these two have been included with Qur’aan lessons. In these Du‘aas, amongst other things, we pray to the Almighty to enlighten us through the Qur’aan and make us follow the teachings of the Qur’aan. THE HOLY QURAN: Islam appeared in the form of a book: the Quran.Muslims, consider the Quran (sometimes spelled â€Å"Koran†) to be the Word of God as transmitted by the Angel Gabriel, in the Arabic language, through the Prophet Muhammad. The Muslim view, moreover, is that the Quran supersedes earlier revelations; it is regarded as their summation and completion. It is the final revelation, as Muhammad is regarded as the final prophet – ‘the Seal of the Prophets. † In a very real sense the Quran is the mentor of millions of Muslims, Arab and non-Arab alike; it shapes their everyday life, anchors them to a unique system of law, and inspires them by its guiding principles.Written in noble language, this Holy Text has done more than move multitudes to tears and ecstasy; it has also, for almost fourteen hundred years, illuminated the lives of Muslims with its eloquent message of uncompromising monotheism, human dignity, righteous living, individual responsibility, and social justice. For countless millions, consequently, it has been the singl e most important force in guiding their religious, social, and cultural lives. Indeed, the Quran is the cornerstone on which the edifice of Islamic civilization has been built.The text of the Quran was delivered orally by the Prophet Muhammad to his followers as it was revealed to him. The first verses were revealed to him in or about 610, and the last revelation dates from the last year of his life, 632. His followers at first committed the Quran to memory and then, as instructed by him, to writing. Although the entire contents of the Quran, the placement of its verses, and the arrangement of its chapters date back to the Prophet, as long as he lived he continued to receive revelations.Consequently, the Holy Text could only be collected as a single corpus – â€Å"between the two covers† – after the death of Muhammad. This is exactly what happened. After the battle of al-Yamamah in 633, ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab, later to become the second caliph, suggested to Abu Bakr, the first caliph, that because of the grievous loss of life in that battle, there was a very real danger of losing the Quran, enshrined as it was in the memories of the faithful and in uncollated fragments.Abu Bakr recognized the danger and entrusted the task of gathering the revelations to Zayd ibn Thabit, who as the chief scribe of the Prophet was the person to whom Muhammad frequently dictated the revelations in his lifetime. With great difficulty, the task was carried out and the first complete manuscript compiled from â€Å"bits of parchment, thin white stones – ostracae – leafless palm branches, and the memories of men. Later, during the time of ‘Uthman, the third caliph, a final, authorized text was prepared and completed in 651, and this has remained the text in use ever since. The contents of the Quran differ in substance and arrangement from the Old and New Testaments. Instead of presenting a straight historical narrative, as do the Gospels a nd the historical books of the Old Testament, the Quran treats, in allusive style, spiritual and practical as well as historical matters.The Quran is divided into 114 surahs, or chapters, and the surahs are conventionally assigned to two broad categories: those revealed at Mecca and those revealed at Medina. The surahs revealed at Mecca – at the beginning of Muhammad's mission – tend to be short and to stress, in highly moving language, the eternal themes of the unity of God, the necessity of faith, the punishment of those who stray from the right path, and the Last Judgment, when all man's actions and beliefs will be judged.The surahs revealed at Medina are longer, often deal in detail with specific legal, social, or political situations, and sometimes can only be properly understood with a full knowledge of the circumstances in which they were revealed All the surahs are divided into ayahs or verses and, for purposes of pedagogy and recitation, the Quran as a whole i s divided into thirty parts, which in turn are divided into short divisions of nearly equal length, to facilitate study and memorization. The surahs hemselves are of varying length, ranging from the longest, Surah 2, with 282 verses, to the shortest, Surahs 103, 108, and 110, each of which has only three. With some exceptions the surahs are arranged in the Quran in descending order of length, with the longest at the beginning and the shortest at the end. The major exception to this arrangement is the opening surah, â€Å"al-Fatihah,† which contains seven verses and which serves as an introduction to the entire revelation: In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate. Praise be to God, Lord of the Worlds;The Merciful, the Compassionate; Master of the Day of Judgment; Thee only do we worship, and Thee alone we ask for help. Guide us in the straight path, The path of those whom Thou hast favored; not the path of those who earn Thine anger nor of those who go astray. Non-M uslims are often struck by the range of styles found in the Quran. Passages of impassioned beauty are no less common than vigorous narratives. The sublime â€Å"Verse of the Throne† is perhaps one of the most famous: God – There is no god but He,   The Living. the Everlasting;Slumber seizes Him not, neither sleep; To Him belongs all that is In the heavens and the earth; Who is there that can intercede with Him Save by His leave? He knows what lies before them And what is after them, Nor do they encompass anything of His knowledge Except such as He wills; His Throne extends over the heavens and earth; The preserving of them wearies Him not; He is the Most High, the All-Glorious. Muslims regard the Quran as untranslatable; the language in which it was revealed – Arabic – is inseparable from its message and Muslims everywhere, o matter what their native tongue, must learn Arabic to read the Sacred Book and to perform their worship. The Quran of course is a vailable in many languages, but these versions are regarded as interpretations rather than translations – partly because the Arabic language, extraordinarily concise and allusive, is impossible to translate in a mechanical, word-for-word way. The inimitability of the Quran has crystallized in the Muslim view of i'jaz or â€Å"impossibility,† which holds that the style of the Quran, being divine, cannot be imitated: any attempt to do so is doomed to failure.It must also be remembered that the Quran was originally transmitted orally to the faithful and that the Holy Text is not meant to be read only in silence. From the earliest days it has always been recited aloud or, more accurately, chanted. As a result, several traditional means of chanting, or intoning, the Quran were found side by side. These methods carefully preserved the elaborate science of reciting the Quran – with all its intonations and its cadence and punctuation.As the exact pronunciation was impor tant – and learning it took years – special schools were founded to be sure that no error would creep in as the traditional chanting methods were handed down. It is largely owing to the existence of these traditional methods of recitation that the text of the Quran was preserved without error. As the script in which the Quran was first written down indicated only the consonantal skeleton of the words, oral recitation was an essential element in the transmission of the text.Because the circumstances of each revelation were thought necessary to correct interpretation, the community, early in the history of Islam, concluded that it was imperative to gather as many traditions as possible about the life and actions of the Prophet so that the Quran might be more fully understood. These traditions not only provided the historical context for many of the surahs – thus contributing to their more exact explication – but also contained a wide variety of subsidiary i nformation on the practice, life, and legal rulings of the Prophet and his companions.This material became the basis for what is called the sunnah, or â€Å"practice† of the Prophet – the deeds, utterances, and taqrir (unspoken approval) of Muhammad. Together with the Quran, the sunnah, as embodied in the canonical collections of traditions, the hadith, became the basis for the shari'ah, the sacred law of Islam. Unlike Western legal systems, the shari'ah makes no distinction between religious and civil matters; it is the codification of God's Law, and it concerns itself with every aspect of social, political, economic, and religious life.Islamic law is thus different from any other legal system; it differs from canon law in that it is not administered by a church hierarchy; in Islam there is nothing that corresponds to a â€Å"church† in the Christian sense. Instead, there is the ummah – the community of the believers – whose cohesion is guaranteed by the sacred law. Every action of the pious Muslim, therefore, is determined by the Quran, by precedents set by the Prophet, and by the practice of the early community of Islam as enshrined in the shari'ah.No description, however, can fully capture the overwhelming importance of the Quran to Muslims. Objectively, it is the central fact of the Islamic faith, the Word of God, the final and complete revelation, the foundation and framework of Islamic law, and the source of Islamic thought, language, and action. It is the essence of Islam. Yet it is, in the deeply personal terms of a Muslim, something more as well. In innumerable, almost indescribable ways, it is also the central fact of Muslim life.To a degree almost incomprehensible in the West it shapes and colors broadly, specifically, and totally the thoughts, emotions, and values of the devout Muslim's life from birth to death. ARABIC LITERATURE: The Quran, the primary document of the Islamic faith, is the first Arabic book. Its style, at once vigorous, allusive, and concise, deeply influenced later compositions in Arabic, as it continues to color the mode of expression of native speakers of Arabic, Christian as well as Muslim, both in writing and in conversation. The Quran also largely determined the course of Arabic literature.The earliest Arabic prose came into being not from literary motives, but to serve religious and practical needs, above all the need to fully understand the Islamic revelation and the circumstances of the first Muslim community in the Hijaz. The sayings and actions of the Prophet and his Companions were collected and preserved, at first by memory and then by writing, to be finally collected and arranged by such men as al-Bukhari and Muslim in the ninth century. This material, the hadith, not only provided the basic texts from which Islamic law was elaborated, but also formed the raw material for historians of the early Muslim community.Since each hadith, or â€Å"saying,† is a first-person narrative, usually by an eyewitness of the event described, they have an immediacy and freshness that has come down unimpaired through the centuries. The personalities of the narrators – Abu Bakr, Umar, Aishah, and a host of others are just as vivid as the events described, for the style of each hadith is very personal. The hadith also determined the characteristic form of such works as Ibn Ishaq's Life of the Messenger of God, originally written in the middle of the eighth century.In this book, hadith dealing with the life of the Prophet are arranged in chronological order, and the comments of the author are kept to a minimum. Events are seen through the eyes of the people who witnessed them; three or four versions of the same event are often given, and in each case the â€Å"chain of transmission† of the hadith is given, so that the reader may judge its authenticity. During Umayyad times, a number of historians wrote monographs on specific historical, legal, and religious questions, and in each case these authors seem to have adhered to the hadith method of composition.Although few of the works of these writers have survived in their entirety, enough has been preserved by later incorporation in such vast works as the Annals of al-Tabari to give us an idea not only of their method of composition, but also of their wide-ranging interests. The practice of prefacing a chain of authorities to each hadith led to the compilation of vast biographical dictionaries, like the Book of Classes of the early ninth century author Ibn Said, which includes a biography of the Prophet and a great deal of information on notable personalities in Mecca and Medina during his lifetime.Works such as this allowed readers to identify and judge the veracity of transmitters of hadith; later, the content of biographical dictionaries was broadened to include poets, writers, eminent reciters of the Quran, scientists, and the like. These biographical dictionaries are often lively reading, and are a mine of information about social and political circumstances in the Islamic world. The spread of Islam naturally found chroniclers, such as al-Waqidi, who wrote in the late eighth and early ninth centuries, and al-Baladhuri, who composed his well known Book of the Conquests in the ninth century.These books, like the hadith, were written for practical motives. Al-Waqidi was interested in establishing the exact chronology of the spread of Islam in the Arabian Peninsula and adjoining areas, while al-Baladhuri was interested in legal and tax problems connected with the settlement of new lands. Their books nevertheless are classics of their kind and, aside from containing much interesting information, they have passages of great descriptive power.By the ninth century, the method of compiling history from hadith and carefully citing the authorities for each tradition – a process which had resulted in books of unwieldy length – was abandon ed by some authors, like al-Dinawari and al-Ya'qubi, who omitted the chains of transmitters and combined hadith to produce a narrative. The result was greater readability and smaller compass, at the sacrifice of richness and complexity. The works of al-Dinawari and al-Ya'qubi, unlike those of their predecessors, aimed to entertain as well as instruct; they are â€Å"literary† productions.This form of light history reached its apogee in the tenth century in al-Mas'udi's brilliant and entertaining Meadows of Gold and Mines of Gems, a comprehensive encyclopedia of history, geography, and literature. The literary productions of these men would not, however, have been possible without the careful collections of historical hadith made by their predecessors. Just as the writing of history began from practical rather than literary motives, so the collection and preservation of Arabic poetry was undertaken by scholars with, at first, little interest in its artistic merit.The linguists and exegetes of Kufa and Basra began collecting this poetry in the eighth century because of the light it threw on unusual expressions and grammatical structures in the Quran and the hadith. Editions and commentaries were prepared of the poems of ‘Antarah, Imru al-Qays, and many others, and thus the works of the early poets were preserved for later generations. The Quran a part, poetry has always been considered the highest expression of literary art among the Arabs. Long before the coming of Islam, Bedouin poets had perfected the forms of panegyric, satire, and elegy.Their poetry obeys strict conventions, both in form and content, which indicates that it must have had a long period of development before it was finally committed to writing by scholars. The principal form used by the desert poets was the qasidah or ode, a poem of variable length rhyming in the last syllable of each line. The qasidah begins with a description of the abandoned encampment of the poet's beloved an d goes on to an account of his anguish at her absence and his consuming love for her. The poet then describes an arduous journey across the desert nd ends the qasidah with an appeal to the generosity of his host. Although the subject matter is almost invariable, the language is very complex and of great precision. In the Hijaz during the first century of Islam, contemporary with the first hadith scholars, a group of poets broke with the past and introduced new forms and subjects. Men like ‘Umar ibn Abi Rabi'ah wrote realistic and urbane verse, and a school of poetry which expressed the themes of Platonic love grew up around the poet Jamil ibn Muiammar, better known as Jamil al-‘Udhri.The lives and works of these poets of the Umayyad period are preserved in the entertaining tenth-century anthology by Abu al-Faraj al-Isfahani, the Book of Songs. The Umayyad court in Damascus patronized poets and musicians. It was also the scene of the development of the type of Arabic lite rature called adab. Adab is usually translated as â€Å"belles-lettres,† which is slightly misleading. This literature, at least in its inception, was created to serve the practical end of educating the growing class of government ministers in the Arabic language, manners and deportment, history, and statecraft.Works in Sanskrit, Pahlavi, Greek, and Syriac began to find their way into Arabic at this time. ‘Abd al-Hamid ibn Yahya al-Katib, an Umayyad official, and the creator of this genre, defined its aims as follows: â€Å"Cultivate the Arabic language so that you may speak correctly; develop a handsome script which will add luster to your writings; learn the poetry of the Arabs by heart; familiarize yourself with unusual ideas and expressions; read the history of the Arabs and the Persians, and remember their great deeds. ‘Abd Allah ibn al-Muqaffa', a contemporary of ‘Abd al-Ham id ibn Yahya, translated the history of the ancient kings of Persia into Arab ic, as well as Kalilah wa-Dimnah, an Indian book of advice for princes cast in the form of animal fables. His works are the earliest surviving examples of Arabic art prose and are still used as models in schools throughout the Middle East. By the ninth century, Arabic literature had entered its classical age. The various genres had been defined – adab, history, Quranic exegesis, geography, biography, poetry, satire, and many more.Al-Jahiz was perhaps the greatest stylist of the age, and one of the most original personalities. He wrote more than two hundred books, on every conceivable subject; he was critical, rational, and always amusing. His Book of Animals is the earliest Arabic treatise on zoology and contains very modern-sounding discussions of such things as animal mimetism and biological adaptation. He wrote one of the earliest and best treatises on rhetoric and a large number of amusing essays.By the time of his death at the age of ninety-six he had shown that Arabic p rose was capable of handling any subject with ease. The most gifted of al-Jahiz's contemporaries was probably Ibn Qutaybah, also a writer of encyclopedic learning and an excellent stylist. His Book of Knowledge, a history of the world beginning with the creation, is the earliest work of its kind and later had many imitators. The tenth century witnessed the creation of a new form in Arabic literature, the maqamat. This was the title of a work by al-Hamadhani, called Badi' al-Zaman, â€Å"The Wonder of the Age. His Maqamat (â€Å"Sessions†) is a series of episodes written in rhymed prose concerning the life of Abu al-Fath al-Iskandari, a sort of confidence trickster, who takes on a different personality in each story and always succeeds in bilking his victims. These stories are witty and packed with action, and were immediately popular. Al-Hamadhani was imitated by al-Hariri a hundred years later. Al-Hariri was a linguistic virtuoso, and his Maqamat is filled with obscure word s, alliteration, puns, and wild metaphors.He too was extremely popular, and many learned commentaries were written on his Maqamat. This purely Arab form can most closely be compared with the Spanish picaresque novels, which it may have influenced. Rhymed prose, which had come to be used even in government documents, was employed by Abu al-‘Ala al-Ma'arri in his Message of Forgiveness, one of the best known of Arabic prose works. Al-Ma'arri lived in the eleventh century, leading an ascetic life in his native Syrian village. Blind from the age of four, he possessed a prodigious memory and great intellectual curiosity and skepticism.The Message of Forgiveness is cast in the form of a journey to paradise; the narrator there interrogates the scholars and poets of the past regarding their lives and works, receiving surprising and often ironic responses. The book is an extended critique of literature and philology, and represents a high point of classical Arabic culture. One of the o ther great figures of late classical literature was the poet al-Mutanabbi, whose skill in handling the complex meters of Arabic poetry was probably unsurpassed.His verbal brilliance has always been admired by Arab critics, although it is difficult for those whose native tongue is not Arabic to appreciate it fully. The period between the fall of Baghdad to the Mongols in 1258 and the nineteenth century is generally held to be a period of literary as well as political decline for the Arabs. It is true that during these five hundred years Arabic writers were more preoccupied with the preservation of their literary heritage than with the development of new forms and ideas.This is the age of encyclopedias, commentaries, and lexicons. Faced with the massive destruction of books by the invasions of Genghis Khan and Hulagu and later of Tamerlane, scholars compiled digests and abridgments of works that had survived in order to ensure their continued existence. There were also some original w orks, however. Ibn Battutah, the greatest traveler of the Middle Ages, lived in the fourteenth century, and his Travel provide a fascinating picture of the Muslim world, from the islands of the Indian Ocean to Timbuktu.Ibn Khaldun, like Ibn Battutah a native of North Africa, lived in the later fourteenth and early fifteenth centuries. His Prolegomena is a work of brilliance and originality; the author analyzes human society in terms of general sociological laws and gives a lucid account of the factors that contribute to the rise and decline of civilizations. Ibn Khaldun's style is innovative, simple, and very personal, and perfectly suited to the expression of his often difficult ideas.This post classical period also saw the composition of popular romances, such as the Romance of ‘Antar, based on the life of the famous pre-Islamic poet; the Romance of the Bani Hilal, a cycle of stories and poems based on the migration of an Arabian tribe to North Africa in the eleventh century ; and many more. These romances could be heard recited in coffee shops from Aleppoto Marrakesh until very recently. The most famous popular work of all, The Thousand and One Nights, assumed its present form during the fifteenth century.A revival of Arabic literature began in the nineteenth century, and coincided with the first efforts of Arabic speaking nations to assert their independence of Ottoman rule. Napoleon, during his brief occupation of Egypt in the late eighteenth century, introduced a printing press with fonts of Arabic type, and Muhammad ‘Ali, ruler of Egypt from 1805 to 1848, initiated a series of projects to modernize Egypt. He encouraged the use of Arabic in schools and government institutions, and established a printing press.Selected Egyptian students were sent to study in France, and on their return assigned to undertake translations of Western technical manuals on agriculture, engineering, mathematics, and military tactics. These works, together with many o f the classics of Arabic literature, were printed at the government press at Bulaq and had a profound impact on intellectuals in the Arab East. Another factor in the literary revival was the swift growth of journalism in Lebanon and Egypt. Starting in the late 1850s, newspapers were soon available through the Middle East.By 1900 well over a hundred and fifty newspapers and journals were being published. These journals had a great influence on the development and modernization of the written Arabic language; their stress on substance rather than style did much to simplify Arabic prose and bring it within the comprehension of everyone. One of the first leaders of the Arabic literary renaissance was the Lebanese writer and scholar Butrus al-Bustani, whose dictionary and encyclopedia awakened great interest in the problems of expressing modern Western ideas in the Arabic language.His nephew Sulayman translated Homer's Iliad into Arabic, thus making one of the first expressions of Wester n literature accessible to the Arabic-reading public. Other writers, such as the Egyptian Mustafa al-Manfaluti, adapted French romantic novels to the tastes of the Arab public, as well as writing elegant essays on a variety of themes. The historical novel, in the hands of Jurji Zaydan, proved immensely popular, perhaps because of the intense interest Arabs have always had in their past, and because of the novelty of a new form.But the first Arabic novel that can rank with European productions is Muhammad Husayn Haykal's Zaynab, set in Egypt and dealing with local problems. Perhaps the greatest figure in modern Arabic literature is Taha Husayn. Blind from an early age, Taha Husayn wrote movingly of his life and beloved Egypt in his autobiography, al-Ayyam, â€Å"The Days. † Taha Husayn was a graduate of both al-Azhar and the Sorbonne, and his voluminous writings on Arabic literature contributed a new critique of this vast subject.The novel was not the only new form introduced to the Arabic-reading public. The drama, first in the form of translations of Western work, then of original compositions, was pioneered by Ahmad Shawqi and came to maturity in the hands of Tawfiq al-Hakim. Tawfiq al-Hakim's long career and devotion to the theater did much to make this one of the liveliest arts of the Middle East. The history of modern Arabic poetry, with its many schools and contending styles, is almost impossible to summarize. Traditional forms and subjects were challenged by ‘Abbas Mahmud al-‘Aqqad,Mahmud Shukri, and Ibrahim al-Mazini, who strove to introduce nineteenth-century European themes and techniques into Arabic, not always with success. Lebanese poets were in the forefront of modernist verse, and one of them, Gibran Kahlil Gibran, proved very popular in the West. Poets are now experimenting with both old and new techniques, although discussions of form have given way to concern for content. The exodus of Palestinians from their native land ha s become a favorite theme, often movingly handled.In Saudi Arabia, it was not until well into the twentieth century that literary movements in neighboring lands made themselves felt. Poetry, of course, has been cultivated in Arabia since the pre-Islamic period, and it has lately been influenced by new forms and subjects. Hasan al-Qurashi, Tahir Zamakhshari, Hasan Faqi, and Mahrum (the pen name of Amir ‘Abd Allah al-Faysal) have won renown for their poetry throughout the Arab world. Hasan Faqi's poetry is introspective and philosophical, while the verse of the three others is lyrical and romantic.Ghazi al-Gosaibi is distinguished by a fresh, fecund imagination that expresses itself in both Arabic and English verse. Two novels by the late Hamid al-Damanhuri have been well received. They are Thaman al-Tadhiyah, â€Å"The Price of Sacrifice,† and Wa-Marrat al-Ayyam, â€Å"And the Days Went By. † With the rapid increase in education and communications, presses are now beginning to publish more and more works by writers, and it can certainly be expected that the great social changes that are taking place will eventually be reflected in equally far-reaching developments in the Arabic literature. Introduction â€Å"Read in the Name of your Lord†. [1] These were the first few words of the Qur'an revealed to the   Prophet Muhammad over 1400 years ago. Muhammad, who was known to have been in retreat and   meditation in a cave outside Mecca [2], had received the first few words of a book that would have a   tremendous impact on the world of Arabic literature. [3] Not being known to have composed any piece   of poetry and not having any special rhetorical gifts, [4] Muhammed had just received the beginning of a   book that would deal with matters of belief, legislation, international law, olitics, ritual, spirituality, and   economics [5] in an ‘entirely new literary form'. Armstrong states, â€Å"It is as though Muhammad had c reated an entirely new literary form†¦Without this experience of the   Koran, it is extremely unlikely that Islam would have taken root. † [6] This unique literary form was the cause of the dramatic intellectual revival of desert Arabs [7], and after   thirteen years of the first revelation, it became the only reference for a new state in Medina. [8] This new   form of speech, the Qur'an, became the sole source of the new civilisation's political, philosophical,   and spiritual outlook.It is well known amongst Muslim and Non-Muslim scholars that the Qur’anic discourse cannot be   described as any of the known forms of Arabic speech; namely Poetry and Prose. [9] Taha Husayn, [10] a prominent Egyptian Litterateur, during the course of a public lecture summarised   how the Qur’an achieves this unique form: â€Å"But you know that the Qur’an is not prose and that it is not verse either. It is rather Qur’an, and it cannot   be called by any other name but this. It is not verse, and that is clear; for it does not bind itself to the   bonds of verse.And it is not prose, for it is bound by bonds peculiar to itself, not found elsewhere;   some of the binds are related to the endings of its verses and some to that musical sound which is all   its own. It is therefore neither verse nor prose, but it is â€Å"a Book whose verses have been perfected the   expounded, from One Who is Wise, All-Aware. † We cannot therefore say its prose, and its text itself is   not verse. It has been one of a kind, and nothing like it has ever preceded or followed it. † [11] Any expression of the Arabic language falls into the literary forms of Prose and Poetry.There are other   ‘sub’ forms that fall into the above categories. Kahin, which is a form of rhymed prose, is one of these   ‘sub’ forms; but all literary forms can be described as prose and poetry. Poetry Arabic Poetry is a form of metrical speech with a rhyme. [12] The rhyme in Arabic poetry is achieved by   every line of the poem ending upon a specific letter. [13] The metrical aspect of Arabic poetry is due to   its rhythmical divisions, these divisions are called ‘al-Bihar’, literally meaning ‘The Seas’ in Arabic. This term has been used to describe the rhythmical divisions as a result of the way the poem moves   according to its rhythm.In Arabic poetry there are sixteen rhythmical patterns, which all of Arabic poetry adheres too or is   loosely based upon; 1. at-Tawil 2. al-Bassit 3. al-Wafir 4. al-Kamil 5. ar-Rajs 6. al-Khafif 7. al-Hazaj 8. al-Muttakarib 9. al-Munsarih 10. al-Muktatab 11. al-Muktadarak 12. al-Madid 13. al-Mujtath 14. al-Ramel 15. al-Khabab 16. as-Saria' Each one of the al-Bihar have a unique rhythmical division. [14] The al-Bihar were first codified in the   8th century by al-Khalil bin Ahmad and have changed little since. The al-Bihar are based o n the length   of syllables.A short syllable is a consonant followed by a short vowel. A long syllable is a vowelled   letter followed by either an unvowelled consonant or a long vowel. A nunation sign at the end of a word   also makes the final syllable long. In Arabic poetry each line is divided into two halves. Below are basic scansions of the metres commonly found in Arabic poetry, showing long (—) and   short (^) syllables. They represent pairs of half-lines and should be read from left to right. The patterns   are not rigidly followed: two short syllables may be substituted for a long one. Tawil — — | ^ — — | ^ — — | ^ — — | ^ — — | ^ — — | ^ — — | ^ — — | Kamil ^ ^ — ^ — | ^ ^ — ^ — | ^ ^ — ^ — | ^ ^ — ^ — | ^ ^ — ^ — | ^ ^ — ^ — | Wafir ^ — ^ ^ — | ^ à ¢â‚¬â€ ^ ^ — | ^ — — | ^ — ^ ^ — | ^ — ^ ^ — | ^ — — | Rajaz — — ^ — | — — ^ — | — — ^ — | — — ^ — | — — ^ — | — — ^ — | Hazaj ^ — — — | ^ — — — | ^ — — — | ^ — — — | Basit — — ^ — | — ^ — | — — ^ — | — ^ — | — — ^ — | — ^ — | — — ^ — | — ^ — | Khafif — ^ — — | — — ^ — | — ^ — — | — ^ — — | — — ^ — | — ^ — — | Sari' — — ^ — | — — ^ — | — ^ — | — — ^ — | — — ^ â₠¬â€ | — ^ — | [For more details on the al-Bihar please see  www. theinimitablequran. om/TheRhythmicalPatterns. html ] An example of an Arabic poem, is the ancient Arabian poem called ‘Abu-l-‘Ata of Sind’: Of thee did I dream, while spears between us were quivering And sooth, of our blood full drop had drunken the tawny shafts! I know not, by heaven I swear, and true is the word I say This pang, is it love sickness, or wrought by a spell from thee. If it be a spell, then grant me grace of my love-longing If other the sickness be, then none is the guilt of thine. [15] This poem, in the original Arabic, falls into the rhythmical pattern of Tawil, one of the al-Bihar shown   above. 16] A literary analysis on any Arabic Poem will conclude that it adheres too or is based upon   the rhythmical patterns. This is supported by Louis Cheikho who collected pre-Islamic and Islamic   poetry and concluded that all of the poems conformed and were based upon the al-Bihar. [17] Prose Arabic Prose can be called non-metrical speech, meaning it does not have a rhythmical pattern like   poetry mentioned above. Arabic prose can be further divided into two categories; Saj’ which is rhymed   prose and Mursal which is straight prose or what some may call ‘normal speech’. [18] An apt description of Saj’ is, in the words of Von Deffer: A literary form with some emphasis on rhythm and rhyme, but distinct from poetry. Saj’ is not really as   sophisticated as poetry, but has been employed by Arab poets, and is the best known of the pre- Islamic Arab prosodies. It is distinct from poetry in its lack of metre, i. e. it has not consistent rhythmical   pattern, and it shares with poetry the element of rhyme, though in many cases some what irregularly   employed. † [19] Mursal can be defined as a literary form that goes on and is not divided, but is continued straight   throughout without any divisions, either of rhyme or of anything else. 20] Mursal is meant as a way of   expression close to the everyday spoken language, examples can be seen in speeches and prayers   intended to encourage or motivate the masses. The Qur’ans Literary Form The Qur’anic discourse cannot be described as any of the known literary forms. The most predominant   opinion is that it doesn’t adhere to any of the rules known to poetry and prose. Another opinion is that   the Qur’an combines metrical and non-metrical composition to create its own literary form. Some   scholars disagree with the above opinions and claim that the Qur’an is a form of rhymed prose, saj’.This opinion has arisen mainly due to the similarities of pre-Islamic prose and early Meccan chapters   of the Qur’an. However, the scholars who carry this opinion do not contend that the Qur’an is unique by   its use of literary and stylistic elements that render it inimitable. This unique use of literary elements   has not been found in any Arabic Prose, past or present. Below is an explanation, with reference to the main opinions above, on how the Qur’an achieves its   unique inimitable form. Non-compliance to the Rules of Prose or PoetryThe Qur’anic literary form differs as it does not fit in to any of the literary categories explained above,   [21] it is not like the prose of Saj’ or Mursal and it doesn't fit into any of the al-Bihar. This can be seen by   the following example: Wad Duha wal laili idha saja Ma waddaka Rabbuka wa maa qala Wa lal akhiraatu khairul laka minal oola Wa la sawfa ya teeka Rabbuka fa tarda†¦ By the morning hours and by the night most still Your Lord has neither forsaken you nor hates you And indeed the hereafter is better for you than the present And verily your Lord will give you so that you shall be well pleased†¦ [22]The examination of the whole chapter with reference to the above lit erary forms indicates that it is not   Saj’ or Mursal as this verse has an internal rhythm, whereas Saj’ does not have a consistent rhythm   and Mursal has no rhythm or rhyme. Also it cannot be described as poetry; the totality of this chapter, or   any other chapter for that matter, does not adhere to any of the al-Bihar. Unique Fusion of Metrical and non-Metrical Speech Some parts of the Qur’an follow the rules of poetry, that is, some verses can be described as one of   the al-Bihar. 23] When the totality of a Qur’anic Chapter, that contains some these verses is analysed,   it is not possible to distinguish its literary form. â€Å"The Qur'an is not verse, but it is rhythmic. The rhythm of some verses resemble the regularity of saj’ †¦But it was recognized by Quraysh critics to belong to neither one nor the other category. † [24] The Qur’an achieves this unique literary form by intermingling metrical and non-Metrical speech in   such a way that the difference can not be perceived. [25] This intermingling of metrical and non- metrical composition is present throughout the whole of the Qur’an.The following examples illustrate   this, â€Å"But the righteous will be in Gardens with Springs – ‘Enter in Peace and Safety! ’ – and We shall   remove any bitterness from their hearts: [they will be like] brothers, sitting on couches, face to face. No   weariness will ever touch them there, nor will they ever be expelled. [Prophet] tell My servants that I am   the Forgiving, the Merciful, but My torment is the truly painful one. Tell them too about Abraham’s   guests: when they came to him and said â€Å"Peace,† he said, ‘We are afraid of you’† [26]When reading the original Arabic of the above verse the reader moves from metric composition to   prose with out experiencing the slightest change of style or mode. [27] The same mingling of metrical   and non-metrical composition