Ramadan: the Month of Blessings
Panorama
Color of Water: Is it old Wine in New Bottle?
Mind Over Matter
Vice Chancellor Addresses New Cohort of Students
News Update
Self-actualization
Experience of Ramadan
Department of Public
Relations and Information
Sultan Qaboos University
Issue 197
View Point
To Change it for the Better
The new cohort of undergraduate students who joined SQU have started their
orientation and foundation programs. What advise does Horizon have for the
fresher? As a university student, you will have more freedom than you had in
the past. With this freedom comes responsibility to work hard in your classes
and to take advantage of the curricular opportunities the university provides.
When you assume this responsibility you will gain the confidence you need to
make informed and well-advised choices about your course of study and the
life you wish to lead during your years here.
Khamis Rajab Al Busaidi
Editorial Supervision
Humaid Al Adwani
Editor -in-chief
M.K. Santhosh
Senior Editor
Younis Al Harrasi
Editor & Translator
Ahlam Al Wahaibi
Design & Layout
Rashad Al Wahaibi
& Photography Dept., CET
If Horizon team can emphasize one thing to you, it wants to emphasize something that your other teachers and authorities may not say to you. We don’t
think it’s necessary for us to tell you to study hard so that you can get good
grades and eventually find a good job and make a lot of money. In addition to
getting good grades and learning practical things that are useful wherever you
end up working, as students at SQU, you also have the opportunity to expand
your horizons and learn all kinds of things that may not necessarily help you
make money, but which may help you to better understand your situation in
the world, to better understand the good and bad things about our world, why
our world is like it is, and how we might be able to change it for the better.
We want you to make an effort towards socialization and humanitarianism.
As the Dean of Student Affairs reiterated during his address to the new batch
of students, extracurricular activities provide you with a platform of interaction with your fellow students and the society at large. The 13 student groups
supported by the Deanship extends the students the opportunity to involve in
different social, cultural and religious activities. The first step towards changing the world for the better would be profusely giving love, care and empathy
to your classmates and fellow beings. Only in this way you can really begin to
take advantage of the opportunity that this university offers for you to expand
your horizons, to learn new things, and to begin to think in new ways about
your situation in the world, and to change it for the better.
Photography
Horizon invites contributions from SQU members of staff and faculty. Contributions in the form of articles, news, travelogues, stories of unique and interesting experiences, encounters, etc., are welcome. Contributions may be edited
for the sake of clarity and length. Please send your contributions to horizon@squ.edu.om preferably, as MSWord attachments. Authors will be suitably credited.
Horizon is published three times a month by the Department of Public Relations and Information,
Sultan Qaboos University, P.O. Box 50, P.C. 123, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman.
Phone: +968 24141045
E-mail: horizon@squ.edu.om
30 August 2010 P2
Fax: +968 24413 391
Website: www.squ.edu.om
Vice Chancellor Addresses
New Cohort of Students
News Update
Arabian Coast 2010 to be
Held in November
The Civil & Architectural Engineering Department of the College of
Engineering at SQU will host the Second International Conference
on Coastal Zone Engineering and Management (Arabian Coast 2010)
from 1st to 3rd November 2010.
This conference aims at putting together efforts related to coastal zone
management, coastal dynamics and monitoring, coastal stabilization
and waterfront development, ports and marinas, risk management,
and coastal legislation, planning and co-operation. The conference
will address the coastal engineering aspects in order to obtain sustainable development. Therefore, the conference will bring together leading experts, scientists, environmentalists and engineers from around
the world to discuss the latest achievements and developments taking
place in the area of conservation of the regional coastal zone.
HE Dr. Ali bin Saud Al Bimani, the Vice Chancellor of SQU, addressed the new cohort
consisting of 2731 undergraduate students who were admitted to various colleges
for the academic year 2010-11, at the welcoming ceremony held in the open air
theatre of SQU on Sunday, 22nd August.
The Vice Chancellor congratulated the new batch of students for securing admission
in various colleges under the umbrella of SQU and extended Ramadan greetings to
them. At the same time, he reiterated that the ultimate goal of the students at SQU
is pursuing their studies with due diligence and perseverance by making best use
of the state of the art facilities available in the university. All the facilities, efforts and
capabilities of the university in academic, research and community service fields
are primarily meant for serving the student community. The best students would
make judicious use of the academic, social, cultural, religious, sports and healthcare
services offered by SQU, the Vice Chancellor observed.
The conference will cover the following topics: coastal zone management and environment, coastal dynamics and monitoring, coastal
stabilization and waterfront development, risk management, ports,
harbors and marinas, coastal legislation, planning and co-operation,
environmental impact of oil spills and effluent discharges, coastal aquifers and salt water intrusion, effect of climate change on coastal environment, and, thermal pollution and marine environment. Japanese Professor
Visits SQU
Al Bimani underlined the importance of the newly introduced the foundation program that started with the current academic year. The goal of the foundation program is to prepare the newly admitted students for undergraduate level studies,
enabling them to experience a smoother and more successful transition to tertiary
education. The program has been designed in accordance with the Oman Academic
Standards that were published by the Omani Authority for Academic Accreditation.
The program covers foundation courses in three disciplines: English, Mathematics
and Information Technology. A student may satisfy the Foundation Program area
requirements either by presenting an equivalent qualification, passing the exit test,
or by attending the courses and passing them.
Dr. Muhammed bin Awadh Al Masheki, the Dean of Student Affairs, who spoke on
the occasion, stressed the importance of student participation in various extracurricular activities apart from fulfilling the regular curricular requirements. He pointed
out that, during the previous academic year, the Student Affairs Deanship hosted as
many as 600 different cultural, social and religious activities at SQU with the guidance, support and involvement of eminent scientists, intellectuals and researchers
from different parts of the country and the world.
Noora Al Hashmi from the College of Engineering and Ahmed Al Yarubi from the
College of Law spoke on the occasion. They elaborated on their experience at SQU
and what the university offered them during their study and advised the newcomers to make the best use of the facilities available in this premier higher education
institution.
The university earlier completed the admission procedures of the new batch of
2731 undergraduate students for the new academic year . The newly introduced
online system for student admission was successful as the students could finalize
their admission from their home. The College of Science received the maximum
number of undergraduate students this year which is 503, followed by the College
of Engineering with 455 students and the College of Commerce and Economics
with 450 students.
HE Dr. Ali bin Saud Al Bimani, the Vice Chancellor of Sultan Qaboos University, recently received in his office, Prof. Masayuki Yamauchi, Professor
at the Graduate School of Arts and Social Sciences at the University of
Tokyo in Japan. After formal reception at the Vice Chancellor’s office, Prof.
Yamauchi watched an audiovisual presentation on SQU and its advancements in the areas of teaching, research and community service.
Dr. Al Bimani and Prof. Yamauchi later discussed prospective collaboration
between the College of Arts & Social Sciences at SQU and the Graduate
School of Arts & Sciences at Tokyo University. Prof Yamauchi said that his
institution is committed to providing wide-ranging knowledge and intellectual skills to its students to cope with contemporary social demands.
With regard to exchange of students between the SQU and his school,
Prof. Yamauchi pointed out the AIKOM (Abroad In Komaba) program, a
one-year undergraduate exchange program between the University of
Tokyo and partner universities in 19 countries. AIKOM is operated under
a formal short-term exchange agreement which stipulates mutual tuition waiver and credit transfer. “The College of Arts & Sciences located at
Komaba, Japan which is functioning under the Graduate School, sends
and receives, more than 25 students each year”, he revealed.
30 August 2010 P3
Insight
Self-actualization
Experience of Ramadan
By: Professor Masudul Alam Choudhury, Department of
Economics & Finance, College of Commerce & Economics
The actualization of Ramadan experience and siyam, fasting in it, is among the
greatest gifts to all of mankind. Indeed, I know of a non-Muslim student in Cape
Breton University, Canada, where I taught for twenty-two years, who observed
siyam, and even joined the congregational prayers. The blessings of these practices finally conveyed on her the gift of reversion to Islam (shahadah). On the
blessings of Ramadan, the glorious Qur’an (2:185) declares: “Ramadan is the
(month) in which was sent down the Qur’an, as a guide to mankind, also clear
(Signs) for guidance and judgment ….” Now ponder upon this verse to a degree
possible. Of course, its all-comprehensive meaning (tafsir) is not possible due to
the ever-expanding horizons of substance that the verse unfolds to the believing
mind through learning in devotion and practice. Yet the ever-widening breadth
of the meaning is progressively unfolded.
Ramadan and the glorious Qur’an are conjoint events in the faculty of belief,
mind and the world in relation to submission to Allah the One, and the practice
of Ramadan as ordained by the Prophet Muhammad (Sunnah). There is no other
way upon which the Ramadan and siyam experience can be actualized. The universality of the message of the Qur’an is exalted through the individual and societal establishment of Ramadan, and siyam therewith. This is indeed the criterion
that enables the separation of Truth from Falsehood. Such is the concretion of the
message of divine Oneness in relationship to belief, the Hereafter (Akhira) and
the world. The message comprehends matter and mind in a holistic but explicated symbiotic bond. From the conscious understanding of the unified organic
synergy that the deeply instilled, so understand and practice relating to the mind
and matter domain, arises the substantive meaning that the Qur’an bestows and
Ramadan experience enables.
The substantive understanding of the precept of Oneness (monotheism) -- the
Oneness of Allah, and the unified world-system in which the functions of matter
and mind are interacted, and the learning to know the ever-evolving domain
of the Signs of Allah, is what the above verse points to. Creation is spanned by
the Signs of Allah explaining the precept of oneness. Thus, creation is centred
on divine purpose, meaning and the constructive design of oneness by organic
symbiotic relations of unity of knowledge. What abides in this purpose and design of the universe and its conscious reflections of the Signs of Allah is the binary exactness between truth and falsehood. This indeed is the criterion of Truth
versus Falsehood as understood at the ultimate degree of knowledge gained by
devotion, learning and practice of the ways of the Qur’an, and as the ways are
explicated by the sayings and life of the Prophet Muhammad. The Ramadan experience inculcates this moral capability.
Think about the present crisis of mankind between financial instability, economic
recession, natural disasters, and social disorder in the light of the Ramadan and
Qur’anic experience. Are these events independent of each other in the light of
the balance of truth against the vagaries of falsehood, a consciousness that society ought to harness for its peaceful and progressive survival? Or are the interconnected unethical consequences caused by human rationalistic preferences
30 August 2010 P4
in concert with society that today fuels the ever-deepening entropic world-system? Brazilian economist Maria Tavares states in her lecture at the conference on
Global Disorder created by Economic Crisis: “We can continue with the financial
disorder and the ideological confusion, but what cannot continue is the same
pattern of growth which has led us to this situation and fired the crisis.”
Take my own case for example. I am now struggling to sell my house in Montreal
and move to Toronto. Why this hardship? -- Because the buyer feels it is under income scarcity and is foreboding instability tomorrow during this time of financial
downturn in the Western World. But, if I do not sell my house, I cannot buy the
next one. If this pattern continues across the economy the construction industry
idles. The sluggish construction industry as barometer of the economy hurts all
the sectors. The result is worsening linkages in the economy at large. This is a sign
of denial of complementary world-system relations that Allah’s oneness as law
bestows on human plenty against scarcity. Contrarily, reverting to the law of oneness is the way of co-existence between the good artefacts of life—such as the
economy—against the falsehood induced into it by the greed and speculation
of economic exchange. Here the presence of interest rate annuls the tradable
power in the good things of life. The law of organic oneness is the sure way to
social and economic recovery.
The financial crisis and the continued sluggishness of the world economy, may
again dip into a recession, Greenspan points out in his interview to BBC World
Business on 2 August 2010. Such a situation and its contrary case manifest a specific deciphering of meaning from the Qur’anic verse relating to the Ramadan
experience, the Qur’anic wisdom, and the world-system. That is, if mankind was
conscious of the moral values of moderation on life’s trifles, the housing sector
as example, and if the sellers and financial intermediaries were not to inflate the
speculative bubble of subprime interest rates, and the public authority had good
guidance and regulations in this direction, the ailing world economy would rebound into its true market-corrected order. A semblance of economic plenty and
stability would return. This is the synergy of unity in the semblance of the unity
of the divine law and the world-system that the Qur’an unravels to the conscious
mind. This is the criterion of the Qur’an and the event of Ramadan to convey it.
This is a lesson by contemplation on the above-mentioned verse of the Qur’an.
The way towards self-actualization and social reform is gained through the practice of siyam, prayer and caring. All of these are heightened during the blessed
month of Ramadhan. The Qur’an through the human proactive experience of
Ramadhan becomes the criterion of Truth versus Falsehood in all our different
issues and problems.
Mind Over Matter
Color of Water: Is it old
Wine in New Bottle?
Dr. S.A. Prathapar
Water is essential for all forms of life and crucial for human development. Water systems, including coastal zones, surface waters and aquifers, provide a
vast majority of environmental goods and services, including drinking water, transport and food. Globally, irrigated agriculture draws down 70 per cent of all
renewable water resources, and industry and energy supply also consume a sizable share. In Oman also, 70 percent of water drawn is used for agriculture.
The Water Research Centre (WRC) at SQU is mandated to increase awareness of factors which influence access to water for all. Improved awareness will
lead to better utilization of Oman’s water resources. Through these articles, the author, Dr. S.A. Prathapar, the Director of WRC, provides insights into
contemporary issues affecting water management and suggests scientifically valid strategies when appropriate.
In recent literature, color has been added to water. Blue water is defined as water
which can be collected, pumped or transported. It essentially refers to water
in surface and groundwater reservoirs. Green water, on the other hand, refers
to water held by matric forces in an unsaturated soil, held against gravity. A
few decades ago, we referred to agricultural production based on water in the
unsaturated zone as ‘rain-fed agriculture’, and agriculture based on water in reservoirs as ‘irrigated agriculture’.
Hydrologists are fully aware that the water held in the soil matrix will percolate to
groundwater and recharge the aquifer if additional water infilter. Else, soil water
held within an evaporating plane (depth of this plane will depend on soil texture
and structure) will move to the soil surface against gravity, and evaporate. Water
held below this plane will move very slowly towards the aquifer and become
groundwater. Studies conducted in the Mallee Region of Australia show that it
could take decades for this water to reach groundwater depending again on soil
type and depth to groundwater. Therefore, most of the water in the unsaturated
zone will one day become water that can be pumped or transported.
So, by adding ‘color’ to water, have we advanced our ability to manage agricultural water demand better? The key challenge in rain-fed agriculture is to
conserve water in the root-zone by minimizing soil evaporation. Adding color
to water will not to minimize soil evaporation. Instead, it will give incorrect understanding of water as a resource to non-hydrologists. These non-hydrologists
could be key decision makers!
Revisiting Principles of Water Allocation for Agriculture
The primary resource for irrigated agriculture, water, is demanded by domestic,
industrial, environmental and agricultural sectors within a catchment, and each
sector requires water of varying qualities for multiple users. In other words, within a catchment, water of varying quality is demanded by multiple sectors and in
varying quantities by multiple users. This requires trade-offs among stakeholders, based on changes to supply of water at any particular time.
Invariably, domestic and industrial sectors have the first call on available water.
These sectors largely contaminate water than consume it, unlike agricultural
sectors where water is evaporated or lost to saline aquifers. Therefore, appropriate treatment of water used by domestic and industrial sectors will enable reuse
of the water by another sector. Environmental flows, on the other hand often
improve the quality of water, and this water too may be used by another sector when necessary. In other words, there are temporal and quality dimensions
to water management in addition to the quantity dimension. By incorporating all three dimensions when allocating water, conflict among sectors can be
minimized. This would not necessarily eliminate difficult but essential tradeoffs between agricultural and environmental sectors. These trade-offs will affect
catchment’s hydrological processes and outcomes accordingly.
As water scarcity looms, the paradigm of water management should shift from
fresh water for all uses and users to ‘timely supply of adequate amounts of water
of acceptable quality’ to each user. This will encourage water recycling within
catchments, and the use of alternative water supplies for agriculture within
catchments.
To Mix or Not to Mix: That is the question!
Globally fresh water available for agriculture is diminishing. This is especially
true in arid and semi arid regions where there is plenty of saline water. In order
to increase the volume of water available for irrigation, there seems to be tendency to mix saline water with fresh water.
Before we venture into mixing these waters we need to reflect on what happens
to the mixed water after irrigation. A part of the applied water is consumed by
the crop for evapotranspiration requirements, and the remainder will leach the
salt from the root-zone. Else, the land will be salinised and will go out of production. If we mix a small volume of fresh water with large volume of saline water,
then we will have a large volume of saline water, with salinity marginally less
than the original water. If we mix a large volume of fresh water with a small volume of saline water, then we have not sufficiently increased the volume of water
needed for irrigation! Therefore, “To Mix or Not to Mix is the Question”.
Answer to this question was found by researchers at SQU Water Research Centre.
Our research shows that a good thumb rule in deciding whether to mix or not
is the salinity tolerance level of the crop to be irrigated. For example, if a wheat
variety could tolerate a salinity of 6 dS/m, then saline water to be mixed could
be as saline as 6 dS/m. Not more! If it is more, most of the mixed water will have
to be used for leaching salts, and will not be available for crop’s evapotranspirational needs.
The third part of this compilation (To Mix or Not to Mix: That is the question!) is
jointly contributed by Dr. S.A. Prathapar and Mr. Seif Al Khamisi from the Ministry
of Agriculture & Livestock, Rummais.
30 August 2010 P5
News Round Up
SQU Student Represents
Oman at Youth Congress
Salim Basheer Al Riyami, a third year student of the College of Engineering at SQU represented Oman in the Fifth World Youth Congress held in
Istanbul, Turkey from July 31 to August 13. The participation of Salim was
a big occasion for the university as it was the first time that the country
had a presence in this international event.
Salim is an active volunteer of the “Embrace Your Book”, the first national
campaign launched by the Omani Global Changemakers of the Awareness
& Advocacy Networks in Oman, with the objective of promoting the habit
of reading among youth through-out the country. The selection of Salim
Al Riyami to the World Youth Congress was facilitated by his active role
in the reading campaign. While interacting with Horizon after his return
to Oman from Turkey, Salim said that the event featured a strong cultural
programme, instructive, often youth-led workshops, debates, an educators programme, a young journalists programme and interaction between
development professionals and youth activists.
“For me, the Local Action Project was the most interesting part of the
event, in which the delegates could travel away from the congress site
and work with local people to assist in some social programmes. As part
of action project, our team consisting of 30 members, visited an orphanage
in Karabuk, providing assistance to the volunteers in empowering the orphans”, he said. “The real impact of the congress came from the informal
discussions of the young activists who shared experiences and stories and
inspired their peers to get started to address the urgent needs of their community and the world” Salim observed.
Apart from the mind-blowing conference sessions and rich social activity
lessons, Salim got the opportunity to visit several historical and tourist
locations in Istanbul like Miniaturk Park, Blue Mosque and Topkapi Museum. Salim thanked the SQU administration for the generous support it
extended for his participation in the World Youth Congress. He expressed
the hope that more students from SQU and other educational institutions
in the Sultanate will be qualified to participate in the future World Youth
Congress events.
SQU Academic Elected to the
Executive Council of IUPHAR
Dr. Ragini Vaishnav, Assistant
Professor in the Department
of Pharmacology and Clinical Pharmacy of the College of
Medicine and Health Sciences
at Sultan Qaboos University
attended World Pharma 2010
(16th
International Union of
Pharmacology-IUPHARWorld
Congress of Basis and Clinical
Pharmacology) that was held
in Copenhagen, Denmark from
17-23 July 2010. This congress
is held once in every four years.
There were over 3200 participants who attended this World
congress, of which half came from outside of Europe and of more than
one third from developing countries. In all there were participants from
over 80 countries.
The congress programme consisted of about 700 oral presentations and
2000 posters spread over plenary lectures, 2-3 day focused conferences,
workshops and symposia. The programme was a blend of basic and clinical pharmacology and a demonstration that both branches contribute to
and depend on each other. The ultimate goal of the congress was not only
to provide a platform for the future development of the discipline, but
to support the development of safe and effective medicines at affordable
prices.
Dr. Ragini was the only participant from Oman who was one of the ten
members worldwide, elected on the Executive Council of the IUPHAR
Education Section for 2010. This is a particularly important honour for
Oman in general and the College of Medicine & Health Sciences at Sultan
Qaboos University in particular.
Dr. Ragini presented a poster titled “A novel approach to a small group
activity in an integrated course” at the IUPHAR Teaching Section Pre Conference Symposium entitled “ Empowering Effective Teaching in Pharmacology for a Safer Tomorrow”. Pharmacology educators and teachers from
a wide range of academic departments and schools (medical, pharmacy,
dental and basic sciences), attended the symposium. This symposium
provided a highly interactive forum for dialogue and discussion of the
latest innovations and technologies to advance learning and education in
the broad discipline of pharmacology. Included in the theme was shaping
the future, and making a difference to health through quality education in
pharmacology worldwide.
Dr. Ragini has several years of experience in teaching, curriculum and
course design both at the undergraduate and postgraduate level at the
College of Medicine and Health Sciences at Sultan Qaboos University. Her
areas of research include ethnopharmacology, safety of traditional medicines and heavy metal toxicity.
A Course on Environmental Impact Assessment
Centre for Environmental Studies and Research (CESAR) and the Centre
for Community Services and Continuing Education (CCS & CE) recently
organized a short course on Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) at
SQU. It was mainly conducted to assist in enhancing the technical capacity of personnel conducting and evaluating EIA. Prof. Reginald. Victor,
Dr. Hemesiri Kotogama and Dr. G. Al-Rawas were the course instructors.
Sixteen participants from different ministries and institutions attended
this course. This workshop contained a comprehensive view about EIA
process, role of economics in EIA and GIS applications in EIA.
Typical stages of EIA process, methodology and limitations were ex30 August 2010 P6
plained in the first session of this course. Environment assessment (EA)
and Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) were clearly differentiated.
Moreover, major limitations of EIA were identified. The second session of
this workshop discussed the role of EIA in achieving sustainable development from the economic point of view. Integrating EIA with benefit cost
analysis and complimenting EIA with environmental valuation methods
were the topics which were elucidated regarding this topic. The third session was about the application of GIS in EIA. Application areas of GIS
and Remote Sensing were enlightened. Watersheds in Oman, assessment
of the induced vegetation damage and spatial assessment of water quality data in A’Seeb area were given as examples of these applications.
Panorama
Ramadan: the Month of Blessings
nights in Ramadan with faith and seeking his reward from Allah will have his past sins forgiven. And he who passes Lailat
al-Qadr in prayer with faith and seeking his reward from Allah will have his past sins forgiven (Bukhari, Muslim). Fasting
purifies our mind, body and soul. Whoever is fasting, he must
guard himself or herself against all kind of deviations and
foul things.
Either his fast will be accepted or not, having this feeling and
living with such feeling will make him humble and nearer to
Allah. Allah likes them who submit before Allah and ask for
his guidance. This month provides that opportunity to train
your body, mind and soul in that way. In fact, this month is a
training period to learn those things to practice for the whole
year. Oman provides great opportunity for the believers and
working time is shortened for those who are fasting. There
is always a festivity all around which encourages poorer to
not feel left alone. Mosques are full of worshippers and the
overall environment becomes very ecstatic. We shouldn’t
miss this month and must remember Allah as much we can.
Surely, this will make us a more responsible human being
and citizen.
Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic Calendar, is considered as one of the
holiest months of the year. It was in 610 A.D. when the prophet Muhammad
(pbuh) was said to have received revelations from God that later became Islam’s
holy book, the Quran (Koran). Horizon approached two academics of SQU, Dr.
Sami A. Khan (Assistant Professor, Dept of Management, College of Commerce &
Economics) and Dr. Mostafa Waly (Assistant Professor, Food Science & Nutrition,
College of Agricultural & Marine Sciences) to elicit their views on Ramadan.
Ramadan-the time for introspection: Dr. Sami A. Khan
We all are so busy in our worldly things that most of us forget that who we are,
why we have been created and what are our
roles. But the month of Ramadan provides
us an opportunity to reflect back and introspect on our actions and behavior and train
ourselves to do things which please Allah
and unlearn those things which has been
forbidden by Allah. Fasting has been a common form of worship in many religions but
in Islam, it is seen as one of the pillar stones
of our belief system. Quran says: O you who
believe! Fasting is prescribed for you as it
was prescribed for those before you, that
you may become God-fearing (The Quran,
2:183). Thus the objective of this month is to sensitize oneself and seek refuge
before Allah.
Out of the twelve months, this month is devoted to the people (Umma) as
told by the Prophet (pbuh) and this is seen as the harvesting month to do as
much as good deeds as one can do but it doesn’t mean other months are not
for following the paths of Allah; but the returns are multiplied of any good
deed as told by the Prophet (pbuh). In fact, it has been told by him that if
people know about its significance then they will pray that the whole year
should be Ramadan. There is no denying to the fact that the month is full
of blessings and we should use this opportunity to do all good actions and
behavior which can make our supplication get answered by Allah.
Fasting-a self oriented training: Dr. Mostafa Waly
Ramadan fasting is a religious obligation for every healthy adult Muslim as ordained in Al-Quran, “O you who believe, fasting is prescribed to you as it was
prescribed to those before you so that you can learn “Taqwa” (meaning piety,
or abstaining from wrong doings and God
fearing)” (Al-Quran 2:183). Ramadan fasting differs from the total fasting as eating
is imperative at least twice in 24 hours (predawn and after sunset and in between these
timings) and there is no restriction on the
nature of foods and drinks to be consumed
provided it is permissible (Halal) by Islam.
As Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said:
“It is Allah’s own month.” It is the chief of all
months and the most glorious one. As we
already know, The Holy Book Al-Quran was descending from God “Allah” the
creator through his Angel; Gabriel to the prophet Mohamed (piece upon him).
Fasting is one of the important pillars of Islam and by fasting during Ramadan, a
Muslim besides discharging an obligation imposed upon him by Allah, becomes
entitled to great reward in the Hereafter. It is Allah alone who will reward that
person for it, on the Day of Judgment. In the Paradise there is a gate called “Alryan” through which only those who maintained the worship of fasting will be
allowed to enter.
Ramadan is the month of Al-Quran so reading the holy book is highly recommended to gain good deeds. Reading Quran should be with tranquility
to gain the spiritual aspects of each verse. Reading Quran, prayers and supplications are the major cross communication between Muslims as being
servants to Allah. Fasting Ramadan is a self oriented training for the whole
Muslim communities to voluntary feel the pain of hunger that misfortune
poor people are facing on daily basis. In addition fasting for one month
clear the souls from desires that are deviating Muslims from complying and
competing in achieving all possible good deeds.
The Prophet (pbuh) said that whoever fasts during Ramadan with faith and seeks
his reward from Allah will have his past sins forgiven. Whoever prays during the
30 August 2010 P7
Straight Talk
Professor Graham Hall
Chair in Mathematical Sciences, Institute of Mathematics,
University of Aberdeen, UK
Graham Hall’s main research interests lie in Mathematical
Relativity Theory and Differential Geometry. In particular
they are concerned with the mathematical structure of
space-time, especially the connection, curvature and projective structure, and the study of symmetries in exact solutions of Einstein’s equations. He is responsible for a relativity research group which normally has several high-quality
PhD students and overseas visitors. Recently he visited
SQU’s Department of Mathematics and Statistics. Excerpts
from his conversation with Horizon:
Horizon: What are your research interests and major achievements in the fields of mathematical relativity theory and differential geometry?
Horizon: What is the objective of your visit to SQU (Dept of
Mathematics & Statistics)? Are you giving guidance to any of your
researchers in their projects?
Prof. Hall: My main research interests are in Differential
Geometry and Mathematical General Relativity Theory. Recently
they have been concerned with symmetries in Einstein’s theory
and the study of curvature and projective structures. Much of my
work up to 2004 was detailed in my book “Symmetries and Curvature Structure in General Relativity” (World Scientific, 2004). This
also involved the use of holonomy theory. Since 2004 my work has
been mostly in the study of projective structure. The problem of
projective structure is equally important to mathematicians and
theoretical physicists. My work has always revolved around the
classical mathematical relativity theory. I have been looking at the
mathematical side of symmetries in relativity, certain types of algebraic classifications and more recently, projective structure.
Prof. Hall: My visit to SQU in Oman was originally to work on
the topic of Ricci collineations which are symmetries of the Ricci
tensor in Einstein’s general relativity. Dr Muhammed Ziad (Assistant Professor, DOMAS, SQU) and myself have, in fact, spent most
of the time studying projective structure in space-times; a topic
which is related to such collineations. Projective structure is the
study of geodesics. Essentially one studies the problem of when
two different geometries have the same geodesics and finds out
how they are related. In this study, the Ricci tensor plays a prominent role and hence such a study is related to that of Ricci collineations.This topic is important in both geometry and physics. It
is, of course, a topic in pure geometry and, on the other hand, it is
important from the point of view of physics because of Einstein’s
principle of equivalence in general relativity. Thus it attracts the
attention of pure mathematicians and theoretical physicists. It has
received much attention in recent years from many researchers in
several countries.
Horizon:
Could you explain in layman’s terms, projective
structure?
Prof. Hall: In differential geometry, as applied to general
relativity, one often deals with lines in space and time which have
very special properties. They are called “geodesics” and, in a sense,
they are a generalization of the straight lines of Euclidean geometry. These lines have an importance for mathematics and physics.
It then turns out to be important to understand the properties of
such “space-times” which have the same geodesics and to discover
their properties. This is, essentially, the projective problem.
Horizon: Mathematical structure of space and time is one
of your research areas. Could you briefly explain the major breakthroughs you have gained in this area?
Prof. Hall: Perhaps the main original development is the application of modern differential geometry to Einstein’s theory of
relativity and an attempt to set such work on a firmer mathematical foundation. In particular, the use of holonomy theory in conjunction with an algebraic classification of the curvature tensor
which was introduced earlier in my work.
Horizon:
University of Aberdeen has a long tradition of
teaching and learning. Could you briefly explain the track record
of the Institute of Mathematical Sciences since its beginning in
terms of research and teaching?
Prof. Hall: Aberdeen University was founded in 1495 and
we have been teaching mathematics since 1505. It has a number
of famous professors including Colin MacLaurin and James Clerk
Maxwell and several Nobel prize winners. The present Institute of
Mathematics specialises in Topology, Representation Theory, Differential geometry and Relativity Theory and Analysis and has
many well-known researchers in these groups. There are many
research students and many visitors from other countries. The
University of Aberdeen is one of the main universities of the UK
and amongst the oldest in the world.