History, Traditions and Observance of Muharram from abid ali mari

Muharram is the first month of the Islamic calendar. On the first day of Muharram, the Islamic New Year is observed by Muslims. The Islamic calendar is a lunar calendar, and is 11 to 12 days shorter than the solar year. Hence it is a little different from the Gregorian calender that is used in the western nations. When compared with the Gregorian calendar, which is a solar calendar, the lunar month of Muharram shifts from year to year.

The month of Muharram is of great religious significance to Islamic people the world over. It is held to be the most sacred of all the months, excluding Ramadan. The word "Muharram" is often considered synonymous with "Ashura", the tenth day of the Muharram month.

"Ashura" is a highly important day for both sects of Islam - the Shias and the Sunnis. The Shia muslims
believe that Husayn ibn Ali, the grandson of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, became a martyr at the Battle of Karbala on the tenth day of Muharram in 61 AH(680 AD).

The pre-Islamic period in the Arabian peninsula was the era of warring tribes. In the absence of a strong leadership, there were conflicts and battles on minor issues. But fighting was prohibited in four months of the year. These months, of which Muharram was one, were considered sacred. Muharram is so called because it was unlawful to fight during this month; the word is derived from the word ‘haram’ meaning forbidden. This period of inactivity was a necessity in heavily decorated replicas of the tomb of the Imam and his family are made for Muharram the era of warring tribes. The tradition was maintained even after the advent of Islam, though provisions to accommodate and accept war in special situations, like a threat to the sovereignty of an empire, were introduced. The gory battle of Karbala was fought against this law and tradition of Islam. The inhabitants on the banks of rivers Euphrates and Tigris were traditional rivals. Their animosity was contained to some extent by Muhammad. But when his son-in-law Hazrat Ali was the Caliph(Muslim civil and religious leader considered to be Allah's representative on earth), the old enmity re-surfaced. Hazrat Ali had two descendants, Hazrat Imam Hussain and Hazrat Imam Hassan. Hussain was the ruler of the part of the empire known today as Iran. The other part in modern Iraq was ruled by the Umayyads. Hussain was called upon by the Shiahs of Kufa, a small town in the Umayyad kingdom, to accept their allegiance and claim his place as the leader of the Islamic community. This was against the wishes of the ruler of Kufa, Yazid, who instructed his governor, Ibn-e-Ziad to take appropriate action. Meanwhile, in response to the call of the Shiahs, Hussain accompanied by his family members, headed for Kufa. When they reached Karbala, en route to Kufa, the forces of the governor surrounded them and their 70 men. Hussain, his family and his troops were tortured and killed, and Hussain's head was severed and presented to the king. They received no help from the Shiahs of Kufa.

As this tragic incident happened on the tenth day of Muharram, Shia Muslims consider this a day of sorrow. They commemorate the martyrdom of Hussain as a religious occassion called "Muharram" (named after the month of its observance). The occassion starts on the 1st day of Muharram and lasts for 10 days until 10th of Muharram. As Muharram approaches, they put on black clothes, as black is regarded as a color of mourning. During the entire 10 day period, they keep themselves away from music and all joyous events (e.g. weddings) that can distract them in anyway from the sorrowful remembrance of that day. During each of the first nine days of Muharram, "Majalis" (assemblies) are held where Shia orators vividly depict the incident of the martyrdom of Hazrat Imam Hussain and his party. Mainstream Shia Muslims fast until the evening. On "Ashura", devoted Muslims assemble and go out in large processions. They parade the streets holding banners and carrying models of the mausoleum of Hazrat Imam Hussain and his people, who fell at Karbala. Some Shia sects observe "Ashura" by beating themselves with chains in public, cutting themselves with knives and sharp objects and holding mournful public processions. This is an expression of their grief on the death of their favourite leader Hussain, considered to be the representative of Allah. (But no Shiite scholar affirms any extreme behavior that harms the body and Shia leaders consider such acts as "Haram", or forbidden.) It is a sad occasion and everyone in the procession chants "Ya Hussain", wailing loudly. Generally a white horse is beautifully decorated and included

in the procession. It serves to bring back the memory of the empty mount of Hazrat Imam Husain after his martyrdom. Drinking posts are also set up temporarily by the Shia community where water and juices are served to all, free of charge.

While Shia Muslims consider "Muharram" to be a sorrowful occassion, Sunni Muslims observe it as a festival and look at "Ashura" as a happy day though the religious aspect remain intact. Pious Sunnis keep a fast("roja") on "Ashura" as per the "Hadith"(a tradition based on reports of the sayings and activities of Muhammad and his companions) of Prophet Muhammad. According to the "Hadith", the Prophet saw the Jews fasting on the 10th of Muharram to commemorate their liberation from Egyptian slavery and the extermination of the army of the Pharoah in the waters of the Red Sea. Prophet Mohammed liked the custom for he believed that it was Allah who saved the Israelites from their enemy in Egypt. He started to fast on the same day as the Jews but he planned to fast on the 9th and 10th from the following year. But death came in between him and his pious wish. Usually, Sunni Muslims are recommended to fast either on the 9th and 10th of Muharram or on the 10th and 11th of Muharram.

Fasting, Rules, Rites and Recommendations for the tenth day of Muharram, the Asura

Fasting is advocated in the month of Muharram. The Prophet is believed to have said: The best fasts after the fasts of Ramadan are those of the month of Muharram.” Although the fasts of the month of Muharram are not obligatory, yet one who fasts in these days out of his own will is entitled to a great reward by Allah Almighty. Fasting on the tenth day of Muharram, called Ashura, is particularly important, as it supposed to lead to great rewards. A person does not have to fast for the whole month. On the contrary, each fast during this month has merit.

Here are some activities that are recommended for the day of Ashurah:
1. To observe fast on this day.
2. To give as much charity as you can afford.
3. To perform Nafl Salat prayers.
4. To recite Surah Ikhlas 1000 times.
5. To visit and be in the company of pious Ulema.
6. To place a hand of affection on an orphan’s head.
7. To give generously to one’s relatives.
8. To put surma in one’s eyes.
9. To take a bath.
10. To cut one’s nails.
11. To visit the sick.
12. To establish friendly ties with one’s enemies.
13. To recite Dua-e- Ashurah
14. To visit the shrines of Awliyas and the graves of Muslims.

Muharram - an auspicious time 
The month of Muharram is also associated with many auspicious events in Islamic history. Allah is supposed to have created the heavens and the earth on this blessed day. On this day He give His infinite blessings and bounties to many of His Prophets and delivered them from the clutches of their enemies. Allah created Hazrat Adam in this month and pardoned him of his mistake. Hazrat Noah’s Ark landed successfully on Mount Judi during this time centuries ago. God is also said to have saved Hazrat Ibrahim from fire and rescued Hazrat Musa from the Pharaoh during the month of Muharram. You must be wondering what there is to mourn about then? The tenth day of Muharram or Ashura is of supreme importance for Shia Muslims as they celebrate the death anniversary of Hussain, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad.

The tragedy at Kerbala
The event of Karbala deals with the collision of the good versus that of evil, the virtuous versus that of wickedness, the collision between Imam Al- Husain (the head of virtue) and Yazid (the head of impiety). Imam Al- Husain was the most virtuous and righteous man of the time. He was the Imam of the Muslim Ummah. Being the representative of his grandfather Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), Imam Husain's main concern was to protect and safeguard Islamic virtues and guide his fellow Muslims. But on the other hand, the power of the rulers (Mu'awiya and his son Yazid) depended solely on the might of the sword. They used to rule over the Muslim empire by using illicit means and ways.

Being the head of Ahlul Bayt (a.s.), Imam Husain never recognized Mu'awiya nor his followers. Before him Imam Ali (a.s.) had fought battles against Mu'awiya because Mu'awiya continually debased the Islamic principles. But, in order to safeguard the security of the Ummah, which was at stake, Imam Al-Hasan had to swallow the bitter pill of making a peace agreement with Mu'awiya. Soon Yazid, the son of Mu'awiya declared himself as a ruler over the Ummah. He demanded Imam Al-Husain's loyalty which Imam Husain flatly rejected since he felt there was no way by which Yazid could represent Islam, it would be blasphemy. But Yazid, the tyrant ruler over the Ummah, was adamant, and thus tension between the two parties increased day by day. Imam Husain then quickly realized that giving his loyalty to Yazid would serve no purpose but to endanger the survival of Islam. Thus to safeguard the religion of Islam, the Imam had no choice but to confront and collide with Yazid's tyranny irrespective of consequences. Since by then Yazid had already ordered his commanders to seize the Imam's allegiance of loyalty at any cost, even by brutal force, the commanders had no choice but to assemble a relatively large army, surrounding Imam Husain's camps in a desert called Karbala where he lived with his family and friends. Soon the commanders, as per direction cut off the basic necessities to the camp, including access to water. Thus this brave heart along with his fellow friends and family faced the torment and stood firmly throughout, for these braves would rather face death for the noble cause of Islam, than to submit to the outrageous tyranny and the un-Islamic ways of Yazid.

Thus, the event of Karbala tells a tale about a clash involving Islamic truths against that of falsehood, belief versus disbelief, right versus wrong, faith against that of brute force and between the oppressed and the oppressor. Hence the event at Karbala touches every Muslim heart since the 57 year old grandson of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), Al-Husain, had to sacrifice everything just to attain only one goal which was to let the truth triumph over that falsehood, which is to foil the plan that Mu'awiya had expertly developed for his son, Yazid, which was to establish a permanent Benu Umayya ruler ship over the Muslim Ummah (even by sacrificing the Islamic principles). And he excelled brilliantly in achieving his goals. Imam Husain successfully succeeded in foiling this plan and he exposed the disreputable nature of Benu Umayya at the expense of his life.

Mourning rites
On Ashura, the Muslims take out processions carrying colourfully decorated taziyas (bamboo and paper replicas of the martyr’s tomb) embellished with gilt and mica. Colourful replicas of Imam Husain’s tomb at Kerbala are also carried in procession and buried at an imitation Karbala. The mourners walk barefoot to the beat of drums. In a frenzy of grief, they beat their chests and cry out the name of Husain. They sometimes even flagellate or whip themselves, drawing blood. Wrestlers and dancers enact scenes depicting the battle at Kerbala. While many Muslims take to the streets to mourn, there are some families that retain personal mourning houses. Lucknow, being the centre of Shia culture and religious activities, observes the rites of mourning with great passion. In places other than Lucknow, the taziyas are taken out and buried in the local burial ground known as Karbala. Sunni Muslims may also commemorate Husayn's death but in a less demonstrative manner, concentrating instead on the redemptive aspect of his martyrdom.

History, Traditions and Observance of Muharram

Muharram is the first month of the Islamic calendar. On the first day of Muharram, the Islamic New Year is observed by Muslims. The Islamic calendar is a lunar calendar, and is 11 to 12 days shorter than the solar year. Hence it is a little different from the Gregorian calender that is used in the western nations. When compared with the Gregorian calendar, which is a solar calendar, the lunar month of Muharram shifts from year to year.

The month of Muharram is of great religious significance to Islamic people the world over. It is held to be the most sacred of all the months, excluding Ramadan. The word "Muharram" is often considered synonymous with "Ashura", the tenth day of the Muharram month.

"Ashura" is a highly important day for both sects of Islam - the Shias and the Sunnis. The Shia muslims
believe that Husayn ibn Ali, the grandson of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, became a martyr at the Battle of Karbala on the tenth day of Muharram in 61 AH(680 AD).

The pre-Islamic period in the Arabian peninsula was the era of warring tribes. In the absence of a strong leadership, there were conflicts and battles on minor issues. But fighting was prohibited in four months of the year. These months, of which Muharram was one, were considered sacred. Muharram is so called because it was unlawful to fight during this month; the word is derived from the word ‘haram’ meaning forbidden. This period of inactivity was a necessity in heavily decorated replicas of the tomb of the Imam and his family are made for Muharram the era of warring tribes. The tradition was maintained even after the advent of Islam, though provisions to accommodate and accept war in special situations, like a threat to the sovereignty of an empire, were introduced. The gory battle of Karbala was fought against this law and tradition of Islam. The inhabitants on the banks of rivers Euphrates and Tigris were traditional rivals. Their animosity was contained to some extent by Muhammad. But when his son-in-law Hazrat Ali was the Caliph(Muslim civil and religious leader considered to be Allah's representative on earth), the old enmity re-surfaced. Hazrat Ali had two descendants, Hazrat Imam Hussain and Hazrat Imam Hassan. Hussain was the ruler of the part of the empire known today as Iran. The other part in modern Iraq was ruled by the Umayyads. Hussain was called upon by the Shiahs of Kufa, a small town in the Umayyad kingdom, to accept their allegiance and claim his place as the leader of the Islamic community. This was against the wishes of the ruler of Kufa, Yazid, who instructed his governor, Ibn-e-Ziad to take appropriate action. Meanwhile, in response to the call of the Shiahs, Hussain accompanied by his family members, headed for Kufa. When they reached Karbala, en route to Kufa, the forces of the governor surrounded them and their 70 men. Hussain, his family and his troops were tortured and killed, and Hussain's head was severed and presented to the king. They received no help from the Shiahs of Kufa.

As this tragic incident happened on the tenth day of Muharram, Shia Muslims consider this a day of sorrow. They commemorate the martyrdom of Hussain as a religious occassion called "Muharram" (named after the month of its observance). The occassion starts on the 1st day of Muharram and lasts for 10 days until 10th of Muharram. As Muharram approaches, they put on black clothes, as black is regarded as a color of mourning. During the entire 10 day period, they keep themselves away from music and all joyous events (e.g. weddings) that can distract them in anyway from the sorrowful remembrance of that day. During each of the first nine days of Muharram, "Majalis" (assemblies) are held where Shia orators vividly depict the incident of the martyrdom of Hazrat Imam Hussain and his party. Mainstream Shia Muslims fast until the evening. On "Ashura", devoted Muslims assemble and go out in large processions. They parade the streets holding banners and carrying models of the mausoleum of Hazrat Imam Hussain and his people, who fell at Karbala. Some Shia sects observe "Ashura" by beating themselves with chains in public, cutting themselves with knives and sharp objects and holding mournful public processions. This is an expression of their grief on the death of their favourite leader Hussain, considered to be the representative of Allah. (But no Shiite scholar affirms any extreme behavior that harms the body and Shia leaders consider such acts as "Haram", or forbidden.) It is a sad occasion and everyone in the procession chants "Ya Hussain", wailing loudly. Generally a white horse is beautifully decorated and included

in the procession. It serves to bring back the memory of the empty mount of Hazrat Imam Husain after his martyrdom. Drinking posts are also set up temporarily by the Shia community where water and juices are served to all, free of charge.

While Shia Muslims consider "Muharram" to be a sorrowful occassion, Sunni Muslims observe it as a festival and look at "Ashura" as a happy day though the religious aspect remain intact. Pious Sunnis keep a fast("roja") on "Ashura" as per the "Hadith"(a tradition based on reports of the sayings and activities of Muhammad and his companions) of Prophet Muhammad. According to the "Hadith", the Prophet saw the Jews fasting on the 10th of Muharram to commemorate their liberation from Egyptian slavery and the extermination of the army of the Pharoah in the waters of the Red Sea. Prophet Mohammed liked the custom for he believed that it was Allah who saved the Israelites from their enemy in Egypt. He started to fast on the same day as the Jews but he planned to fast on the 9th and 10th from the following year. But death came in between him and his pious wish. Usually, Sunni Muslims are recommended to fast either on the 9th and 10th of Muharram or on the 10th and 11th of Muharram.

Pakistan win first series against Australia in 20 years

ABU DHABI: Pakistan achieved their first series win over Australia in 20 years with a thumping 356-run win in the second Test in Abu Dhabi on Monday, taking the two-match series 2-0.

The elusive win lifts Pakistan to number three in International Cricket Council´s Test rankings behind number one South Africa and Australia.

Spinners Zulfiqar Babar (5-120) and Yasir Shah (3-44) rocked Australia once again for 246 in the second innings soon after lunch at Sheikh Zayed Stadium.

Pakistan won the first Test by 221 runs in Dubai.

Pakistan had taken a big step forward after scoring a mammoth 570-6 declared in their first innings and getting a 309-run lead by dismissing Australia for 261.

That never allowed Australia to stage a comeback and avoid series defeat for the first time since losing 1-0 in Pakistan in 1994.

The defeat was Australia´s third worst in all Test cricket behind their 675 run loss against England in Brisbane in 1928 and by 408 against the West Indies at Adelaide in 1980.

In contrast Pakistan registered their biggest win in terms of runs, beating their 341-run victory over India at Karachi in 2006.

Pakistan had to fight hard in the morning session as Steven Smith defied Pakistan during his resolute knock of 97, but once Smith departed, leg-before by Shah, Australia lost their last four wickets for the addition of just eight runs.

Smith added an invaluable 107 for the fifth wicket with Mitchell Marsh, who fell after scoring 47.

Smith missed a sharp turner from Shah who also bolwed Mitchell Johnson and Mitchell Starc to finish with 12 wickets in the series.

Babar had Nathan Lyon caught for his second fifth wicket haul, following up his first in the first Test in Dubai.

Babar finished with 14 wickets in the series as Pakistan did not miss ace spinner Saeed Ajmal´s absence who is suspended due to illegal bowling action.

Before lunch Smith batted resolutely, using his feet against the spinners during his 204-ball knock and hitting a dozen boundaries.

Smith reached his eighth Test fifty with two boundaries off spinner Zulfiqar Babar, who failed to add to his three wickets on Sunday.

Marsh, who top-scored with 87 in Australia´s first innings, played Pakistan´s pace-cum spin attack confidently and he and Smith added 55 runs in the first hour.

But Mohammad Hafeez provided the breakthrough when he had Marsh caught by Asad Shafiq off an uppish flick. His 130-ball innings included six boundaries.

Hafeez finished with 2-38.

The win is also special for skipper Misbah-ul Haq who equalled the most wins record by a Pakistani captain with 14. Imran Khan and Javed Miandad also won 14 Tests as captains.

Misbah set the world record for the fastest half-century and equalled the feat of fastest century in all Test cricket during his 101 not out on Sunday, capping a memorable Test match. (AFP)

Face more important than body for women?

Changes in skin are visible signs of ageing. A new research shows that many women feel they have focussed more on the face than the entire body.

The research, conducted by Astral Original, has highlighted that many women feel they have focussed too little on their body and only used creams on their face, reports femalefirst.co.uk.

The study shows that a quarter of women believed that their body was ageing faster than it should have, as they had neglected caring for it.

The top three body areas claimed to be showing the worst signs of ageing were the hands, face and neck.

About one in 10 women overall said they were unhappy with their skin and one in three said they only sometimes feel their skin looks and feels good.

Women blame the poor appearance of their skin on dehydration as they drink too little water, insufficient use of moisturiser, smoking and an unhealthy diet.

Feeling of sadness lingers on longer

It's official. A sad feeling lasts longer than being ashamed, surprised, irritated or even bored.

Indo-Asian News Service | Posted: October 31, 2014 2:22 pm

It’s official. A sad feeling lasts longer than being ashamed, surprised, irritated or even bored.

According to a study, sadness often goes hand-in-hand with events of greater impact such as death or accidents.

“You need more time to mull over and cope with what happened to fully comprehend it,” said lead authors Philippe Verduyn and Saskia Lavrijsen from the University of Leuven in Belgium.

To explain why some emotions last for a longer time than others, the two asked 233 high school students to recollect recent emotional episodes and report their duration.

Out of a set of 27 emotions, sadness lasted the longest, whereas shame, surprise, fear, disgust, boredom, being touched, irritated or feeling relief were often over in a flash.

Interestingly enough, boredom also counts among the shorter emotions experienced.

“This means that even though time seems to pass slowly when one is bored, an episode of boredom typically does not last that long,” Verduyn noted.

The researchers discovered that emotions that last a shorter time are typically elicited by events that have relatively low importance attached to them.

On the other hand, long-lasting emotions tend to be caused by events that have strong implications for a person’s major concerns.

“The feeling, therefore, endures while a person rethinks the events and consequences over and over again,” Lavrijsen said.

Duration was found to be a dimension that can differentiate between otherwise very similar emotions.

For instance, guilt is an emotion that persists much longer than shame, while anxiety lingers longer than fear.

“Rumination is the central determinant of why some emotions last longer than others. Emotions associated with high levels of rumination will last longest,” the two authors concluded.

Increase Battery Life on Android Mobile Phones

Anyone who has a smartphone knows that battery life is an issue. At the moment, the smartphone industry tends to favor performance over battery life when developing specifications for their new devices. To be perfectly honest, I am all for this. I would argue that it's better to have a zippy phone that acts quickly when I need it to rather than a slow, less sleek device that can withstand a few days of use without charging.

This is probably because I've mastered getting what I need from my phone while using the smallest amount of battery resources possible. Getting the best battery life from your phone can be somewhat complicated because everyone has a different opinion on what you should use and which (if any) features you should sacrifice to conserve battery. Fortunately, I have a simple method that works for every Android phone I've ever encountered.

Display Screen

As a universal fact across all phones, the biggest drain on your battery is your display screen. Personally, I've found the auto-brightness control to work extremely well. To adjust to auto-brightness, go to  
SettingsàDisplay settingsàBrightness, and then just check Automatic brightness. It dims the brightness when you're in darker rooms (as it doesn't need to compete against other light sources and glare), but will really up the brightness if you're outside so that your phone is actually usable. However, if I'm really trying to conserve battery, I will turn off auto-brightness and set the brightness to very low (around 25%).

Also, be sure that you don't have an extremely long timeout (inactivity time before your screen automatically shuts off) as this will drain your battery. I personally just prefer shutting the screen off manually by pressing the power button rather than waiting for a timeout; this way my phone won't timeout on me when I am just reading something on it.

Live Wallpapers
Live wallpapers have a considerable impact on your battery life. Not using them is always a good idea if you want the best time from your battery.

Close Unnecessary Applications
If your phone has some applications running that you are not currently using, you should close them from the Task manager to avoid putting unwanted pressure on your phone which in turn will cause your battery to drain quickly.

Reduce Volume of speakers
Lowering volume of your phone's speakers can also have noticeable improvements in your phone's battery life.

The Power Control Widget

If you have a fairly recent phone (anything running Android 2.1 or higher), you are already blessed with a completely awesome "Power control" widget. If your phone does not have this widget, you could always download one from the Play store. This is a must for your home-screen. With this widget, you can enable and disable WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, and Auto-sync in addition to adjusting brightness levels between auto, low, medium, and high.

The only thing this widget left me wanting was the ability to enable and disable mobile wireless networks(3G and/or 4G network). Some phones allow you to do this by pulling down the "status bar" at the top of your phone (where notifications, battery life, and signal are) and selecting or unselecting "Mobile data." Other phones allow you to control mobile wireless networks by holding down the power button. Worst case scenario, you can adjust it in "Settings."

Now, when to enable and disable these features, all boils down to preference. I only use Bluetooth, WiFi, and GPS as I need it; otherwise it's off. If you have a WiFi connection available, it's generally better for your battery to use it rather than using your mobile wireless network (especially if you get poor signal for your mobile wireless).

Analysis: Misbah joins Viv Richards in Hall of Fame

On Saturday, Misbah smashed the joint fastest century in terms of balls (56) faced in Test history. PHOTO: AFP

KARACHI: 

Misbahul Haq has spent an entire career tagged ‘Tuk Tuk’ but in one hour of the most exhilarating batting display, he shook off the unenviable label by smashing the joint fastest century in terms of balls (56) faced in Test history.

The knock just couldn’t have been timed better by Misbah as his team razed to the ground an Australian team renowned for its ruthlessness and never-say-die attitude.

Only a fortnight ago, Misbah’s future was under the scanner after he opted out of the third ODI—perhaps disappointed by the ‘Go Misbah, Go’ chants that echoed at the Dubai International Stadium, following Pakistan’s loss in the second ODI.

On the eve of the Dubai ODI, Aussie wicket-keeper Brad Haddin was chuffed to bits when told that Misbah had moments earlier in his own media briefing admitted that he was short on confidence. Haddin had cheekily stated: “Let me quickly tell my team” and gave a feeling that the men from down under were ready to go for the jugular in the games ahead.

Shahid Afridi, an aspiring leader led the team in the Abu Dhabi game, but a few days later the PCB Chairman Shaharyar Khan quashed doubts about Misbah’s future by retaining him captain till at least next year’s World Cup.

In hindsight Shaharyar’s backing served as the right tonic for Misbah. The outstanding batsman-ship from Younus Khan and Azhar Ali—magical spells by Zulfiqar Babar and Yasir Shah, gave Misbah the licence to finally unleash himself on the Australians, especially since he had regained his own form too—courtesy his flowing first innings century.

When he walked in to bat 24 minutes before lunch on Sunday, he was greeted by a friendly full-toss from Steven Smith, which was duly dispatched for a four.

The next ball was a miscued big hit that should have been snaffled by Peter Siddle in the covers, but since this was meant to be Misbah’s day the ball was floored by the pacer.

The drop should have made Misbah circumspect, but the very next over he taught Smith a batting lesson by launching him for three sixes and one four.

Nothing was to stop Misbah now and by the time lunch was served Misbah had posted the world record for the fastest fifty both in terms of balls faced and minutes spent at the crease.

Few people would have predicted at that juncture that the records would be erased in the next few minutes as Misbah was indeed eyeing the fastest century record.

The energy sapped fast bowling duo of Mitchell Starc and Siddle (admonishing himself for dropping Misbah) tried their best to tie down the blazing bat of a man who had acquired the reputation of being an old school grafter in the longest format of the game.

But the reputation was shredded by the man himself. After some nervy moments Misbah scored eight runs of two consecutive balls from Starc to join no other than the original master blaster Sir Vivian Richards as the joint record holder for the fastest Test century of all time.

Tributes have been pouring in from some of the greats of the game including Adam Gilchrist, Anil Kumble, VVS Laxman, Michael Vaughan, and Shane Warne. Misbah’s bewitching innings it seems has finally made the pundits take note of his pedigree too.

The Pakistan captain is now at the twilight of his career, after scalping the mighty Australians he has a World Cup in mind. One hopes that he can bat with the same uncluttered mind for the rest of his career, since Misbah’s uncluttered mind can wreak havoc in the opposition camp.

Increase A Laptop's Battery Life [How To]

When you’re constantly on the move and rely on your laptop to perform when you most need it, you need to be sure that your battery won’t suddenly drain on you, leaving you in the lurch. If this sounds like a situation that you frequently find yourself in, perhaps you should look at upgrading to a laptop battery with a longer life. But if that step sounds a bit drastic, there may be a few things that you can do to prolong your battery’s power, when you don’t have access to a mains supply.

Turn down the brightness of your screen

Most modern laptops allow you to control the brightness of the screen. As you might expect, the brighter the screen, the more power is required. Dim the screen and you could find that your battery lasts a lot longer.

Shut down programs that aren’t being used

It’s often the case that you’ll have a number of programs running, yet you’re only using one or two of them. Although you might not see them running, they could be running in the background, adding to your CPU load, and consuming more energy. Shut down the programs not in use and save energy. If you’re unsure about programs running in the background, simply open the task manager.

Clean the battery contacts

You should clean the connection points on your laptop’s battery every now and then. Dampen a cloth with alcohol and use it to clean the points. Clean points mean that electric current can pass through efficiently, meaning you save on wasted power.

Use the CD/DVD drive sparingly

CD and DVD drives use a substantial amount of energy to operate. If possible, opt to use the hard drive instead, as this requires less energy.

Defragment your hard drive regularly

If you regularly defragment your hard drive, it will operate more efficiently. The more efficiently your hard drive operates, the less demand is placed on the battery, meaning you will get more life out of it! As an additional advantage, this will also help in speeding up your computer.

Do not use wireless networks

If you are not in need of a wireless connection, it is better to turn off the wireless receiver on your laptop as it puts unnecessary strain on your battery. Most laptops have an easy to locate switch to turn off wireless networks.

Disable unnecessary visual effects

Your computer requires computing power to show all those stunning visual effects. More computing means more battery consumed. Hence, if you want your battery to last longer, it is advisable to preferably turn off or at least tone down those visual effects.

Change Power scheme

Changing your power scheme to Power Saver makes your computer adjust its settings to use power minimally and give you extended battery life. Most operating systems allow you to change power schemes.

Regularly clean the air vents and keep your laptop cool

Your laptop will operate far more efficiently at lower temperatures. If your air vents are clogged up with dirt and dust, the machine cannot be cooled efficiently. By regularly checking that air can pass freely through the vents, you can be sure that your laptop remains as cool as possible. You can use a brush or a lightly dampened cloth to remove any dust or dirt. For even better cooling, you can try a laptop cooling pad.

Refrain from using external devices

External devices, such as external hard drives, iPods, and even your mouse can put unnecessary strain on your battery. If it isn’t absolutely crucial that you use these external devices, shut them down and disconnect them entirely to save on battery usage.

Only multitask when absolutely necessary

Performing multiple tasks at any one time, for example listening to music whilst downloading files and creating Word documents, will again put unnecessary strain on your computer. When battery power is scarce, don’t over-work your laptop and drain the battery too quickly.