Cambridge is 800 years old

Assalamualaikum warahmatullah wabarakatuh,

On 17th January 2009, University of Cambridge was celebrating its 800th anniversary with a grand slide show on the Senate House and Old School Building, of all the achievements produced by the scholars of the university throughout the history. The fact is that this university has the most number of Nobel Prize laureates compare to any other higher institution across the world. The problem is, how can the university maintain such a reputation when Yale has just crossed Cambridge in the top ranking of the world universities making Cambridge now No. 3 in the world with Oxford trailing from behind?

Looking back at the history of scholarship during the Golden Era of Islam, the achievement in Science, Mathematics, Literature, Philosophy, Medicine, Astronomy, Sociology, Politics, etc., where are the muslims academics and scholars nowadays? From the top of the world at that time to where we are today, what went wrong? This might be a very interesting question for Cambridge to contemplate on if it wished to maintain its reputation for as long as it can.

Wassalam.

Murray Edwards College

Assalamualaikum warahmatullah wabarakatuh,

Yesterday, I attended the New Hall garden party invited by the soon-to-be-retired President of New Hall, Anne Lonsdale. This was meant to be her retirement party too. We were all given by a surprise speech by her, not that she decided not to retire but New Hall has changed its name to Murray Edwards College. The rational and history behind this are all here. And yes, we have a new website too with new logo. When I try to search this new name, it's already on Wikipedia.

There were mixture of feelings among the students and staff. I think I am a very nostalgic person. Tears suddenly rolled down from my cheeks when I heard the speech. I couldn't take the change at that point and was thinking of raising more money in the future, beat this £30 million and rename the college into New Hall again. But that was a temporal feeling. Today, I think I'm happy with the change and think that it is a way forward for the college. Much of the things will remain the same anyway, it's just a name.

I remember having problem when the sisters' emailing list changed its name from skirt to entropy. I was also very upset by it but eventually came to realise myself. It's just the moment.

With such a long name, usually people will only remember part of it. Like Gonville & Caius College is known as Caius, Sidney-Sussex College is known as Sidney, Lucy Cavendish College is known as Lucy and Corpus Christi College is known as Corpus. I hope we will get a nice glamour name. Btw, what are we now? From New Hallers to...?

Wassalam.

Sunshine

Assalamualaikum warahmatullah wabarakatuh,

Today's weather looks more promising, sunshine and warm. Actually can see everyone on the street smiling! *Am thinking of putting a smiley here, but don't think this blog got one*

Today is a promising day because it's Friday! Hooray! Friday is the beginning of the week for Muslims and it is also the blessed day of the week. Today, we will have Friday Sermon & Friday Prayer. Unfortunately the mosque is still under renovation, so the women section is closed until further notice :( Anyway, am going to the Friday Prayer in Howard Mallet Centre which I doubt many people know about it. It's the Sermon that I'm interested in, especially there is no more circle this holiday. Need a boost for the spiritual side.

Today also I will play squash with Samira. Should be fun especially not playing for nearly 3 weeks now due to my back pain, which I don't know why.

The rest of the day is to transcribe my data as usual and I proudly announce that I have done half of it and less than half to go as I've done a little bit of some of them. It's bored to just to listen to one student, you see, so when I'm bored, I switch to other student, just to refresh myself.

Wassalam.

Still very cold here

Assalamualaikum warahmatullah wabarakatuh,

Very cold this morning. Feel like I'm still in winter. Quite foggy and misty. I don't know what is the tempreture this morning, but enough to hurt my face which is the only part of my skin exposed. Took these pictures in New Hall while the sun was rising. I actually can look directly at the sun without hurting my eyes because the atmosphere was quite foggy. Subhanallah, how great ALLAH's creation is. If people think that the sun is mighty, then how great must be the designer or the creator of the sun. How can we not submit to that only ONE?




ALLAHU'alam.

Wassalam.

They are back!

Assalamualaikum warahmatullah wabarakatuh,

When you are not anticipating the arrival of someone, you are not preparing for it. When they pop up in a sudden, the happiness is such a gift from ALLAH. Alhamdulillah.

Today I was in New Hall just to go to the Computer Room and do my work there. Then I met Mehrun, a New Hall Alumni who I've never met in Cambridge but in Oxford for only once. Then we went to see Arwa and next we saw Tabs, Taz & Yasmin. They were all here for the New Hall Medics Dinner. The bonds of the medics in New Hall are so strong that even they have graduated and are studying in Oxford or London, they will come back to see everyone. It's a tradition. I don't know what ties them so strong but it is such an amazing thing to witness.

Wassalam.