Allah --- the Almighty, the Most Merciful, the Most Beneficent

Vibrant hues of orange and yellow were smeared together and they played with violent shades of red. The rising sun rested in a bed of golden rose, cotton clouds. Its rays of light spilling over the hills like pale orange paint. At least, that's what I imagined this sunrise would look like in a world without skyscrapers and other assorted buildings suffocating the horizon, sucking the life out of the beauty that nature gives us, and replacing it with smoke, oil, and the stench of our ever growing need to expand. Our need, humanity's need to leave no blade of grass behind, to cover every inch of the earth with pollution and man made roads and structures, is what is destroying the beauty that nature provides.

Central to the Muslim belief is the importance of devotion and total submission to Allah. This is put into practice through the Five Pillars of Islam –the five obligatory duties that must be performed by all practising Muslims. These are the acts of faith, prayer, charity, fasting and pilgrimage. Carrying out these duties creates structure in a Muslim’s life, teaching them to devote their time to Allah and not get caught up in their own secular lives. The effect the Five Pillars of Islam has on not only the individual but the community as a whole is substantial. Constantly

Toward the end of the novel, Ender returns to the Earth for a three month vacation, desiring a complete rejuvenation to cope with struggles that lay ahead. During these three months, as Ender recuperates from his mental distress caused by overstress, he begins to notice the beautiful simplicities of life on Earth. To fully convey the pleasure that Ender experiences, the author uses imagery and delivers rich, vibrant, and powerful descriptions that make the reader take a second look at their blissful world, the Earth, on which they’ve been living so long. The author writes, “He heard the crickets chirping madly in the woods; in the near distance he heard the crackling sound of a car driving slowly on gravel.” (p.420), “And following that train of thought led him back to Earth, back to the quiet hours in the center of the clear water ringed by a bowl of tree-covered hills. That is the Earth, he thought, not a glob thousands of kilometers around, but a forest with a shining lake, a house hidden at the crest of a hill, high in the trees, a grassy slope leading upward from the water, fish leaping and birds strafing to take the bugs that lived at the border between water and sky. Earth was the constant noise of crickets and winds and birds.”

“So long as the human consciousness remains within the hills, canyons, cliffs, and the planets, clouds, and sky, the term landscape, as it has entered the English language, is misleading. ‘A portion of territory the eye can comprehend in a single view’ does not correctly describe the relationship between the human being and his or her

are born on this earth and we will return to this vast landscape at the end of our days. It

what’s out in the world. Instead of just living in one place or city, there’s more to see and more

“The landscape, the whole great circle of it, grassheads, scrub, water, sky, quite took his breath away.” (Pg 17)

The sun paints the sky with its warm colours as it dips below the horizon. The scent of pumpkins and apples caress my nose as their lulling scent complements the scenery; surrounding me in total bliss.

The tune was carried to different parts of the world and included divergent professions and practices. Each clip showed people loving what they do; a few of those things were calming rituals, some were thrilling experiences, and still others were critical professions. With the change in experiences came a change in volume. This induced feelings of peace, happiness, and adrenaline on the viewers, and somehow all of these sentiments were positively linked with the thought of planet Earth. The simple use of such a variety that incorporates both the traditionally “ugly” and “beautiful” and the “boring” and “exciting” parts of the Earth into one smooth video leads viewers to embrace the Earth as a

1. During Anne Bradstreet's piece called [Upon the Burning of Our House] Anne Bradstreet describes how she believed that it was god's will that her house was destroyed, due to her being too concerned with material/physical things. She says "Then straight I gin my heart to chide and didst thy wealth on earth abide?" which translates to her questioning whether or not she had treasured her belongings excessively. Afterwards she states "Didst fix thy hope on mouldring dust? The arm of flesh didst make thy trust?" which further expands on the fact she treasured a physical object rather than a living entity or god himself.

A beautiful young woman steps down from the horse drawn carriage, one foot touching down onto the rough ground outside her second home. As she looks around, she cannot help soaking in all the wonderful scenery surrounding her. The fabulously large trees too tall to climb perfectly blanketing the hillside in the distance. The sky clear, blue and bright with a few lingering perfectly formed cotton clouds. The trees just starting to turn from their deep green to shades of orange, yellow and brown. The grazing grass that surrounds still the brightest shade of green imaginable.

Magnificent, heavenly light filters through the wispy clouds, signifying a new day. The thin clouds slowly drift apart, presenting a beautiful sky beneath. Speaking out to me, the sky seems to know every one of my thoughts, my dreams, my darkest fears. The sky is but a canvas of light, creating a new picture within seconds. Weaving a story through the delicate clouds, the picture grows beyond the expanse of sky. The colors splay before me, painfully beautiful and simple. Pink hues morph into vibrant purples as they blend with the beautiful blues. The glittering stretch of sea shines before my eyes. With every new wave, the light from above whispers promises of riches and sparkling diamonds. The light breeze that kisses the sea sends the twinkling light back into the air above.

On the other hand, Islam's basic rules of conduct consist of five commandments. These are shahada, which is the most fundamental of the commandments - the declaration of belief that there is only one God, and Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) is His messenger. Shalat, which is praying five times a day to reaffirm submission to God, Saum -- fasting in the month of Ramadan which requires abstinence from everything worldly. All Muslims are required give 2.5% of his savings to charity, and this is termed Zakat. It is considered a social welfare responsibility and Hajj, which is going for pilgrimage after the end of Ramadan .

When the sun slowly peeps over the range of mountains, birds shake the morning dew off their feathers and give a cheerful song that would lift even the most sorrowful of spirits. A light fog wraps around the mountain range, reaching to touch every bit of life thriving there. The slight chill in the air is enough to give a gentle shiver, but not enough for the need of a jacket. A breeze tickles the trees, making their leaves shake and sway with laughter. Sunlight seeps in past the thick canopy of branches with hopes of being able to reach the damp mountain earth. The mountains are the best place to live to be relaxed, see the most beauty, and never get bored.

Fortunately, I wake every morning to the most beautiful sun lit house. I sit on my porch sipping coffee, while I drink in an atmosphere that steals my breath away. Rolling hills lay before me that undulate until they crash into golden purple mountains. Oh how they are covered in spectacular fauna, ever blooming foliage, and trees that are heavy with pungent fruit.